Klitschko data. Klitschko brothers fight statistics

Vitali Klitschko is one of the best boxers in world history. The outstanding athlete became famous thanks to his successful performances in the ring, and his results in professional boxing are truly impressive.

Currently, Vitaliy Klitschko is the mayor of Kyiv, he also heads the political party “UDAR” (Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms). His activities extend far beyond the usual politics: the current mayor of Kyiv has an incredibly successful past in the field of professional boxing, he is a businessman, and quotes from his speeches have become viral hits on the Internet.

Vitaly also tried himself as a producer - together with a Hollywood actor and brother, he acted as a producer of the famous musical “Rocky”.

Vitali Klitschko was born on July 19, 1971 in the village of Belovodskoye in the territory of the former Kyrgyz SSR. His father was a military man, his mother worked as a primary school teacher. As a child, he and his family often had to move to other countries, as well as republics of the Soviet Union. In the early 80s, the family lived in Czechoslovakia; in 1984, the Klitschko family moved to live in the Ukrainian SSR. In his historical homeland, Vitaly begins to seriously engage in sports.

Vitaly’s great sporting future was predetermined almost from childhood - from his earliest years the boy was attracted to fighting at a professional level. In his youth, the guy liked many types of martial arts, but his favorite was kickboxing, in which he became the world's best fighter six times. In the kickboxing ring during his sporting career, Vitaly fought 35 fights, winning an unprecedented 34 of them.

Army

From 1989 to 1991, the young man served in the army. Conscript service took place in Uman in one of the units of the USSR Air Force. Even then, he differed in his size and physical characteristics from other young people. The famous boxer repeatedly recalled his army service in military aviation later.

Vitaly told reporters in an interview that one of the old soldiers once tried to force him to carry water, but the newly minted soldier clearly did not agree with this state of affairs. By refusing to follow the orders of the private, the boxer exposed himself to enormous risk, because the demobilizers were already “preparing to restore order” in their location, but everything turned out okay. Soon it was announced on the parade ground that among the newly arrived fighters was the champion of the Soviet Union, Vitaliy Klitschko; no further attempts were made to violate the Charter of Military Service in his presence.

After military service, Vitaly studied at the Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky State Pedagogical University named after Grigory Skovoroda at the Faculty of Physical Education, after which he continued to serve as an officer in the Ukrainian Army. In 1996, Klitschko was transferred to the reserve with the rank of Air Force captain.

Boxing career

After a very successful period in kickboxing, Vitali Klitschko switched to professional boxing. He has been active in this area since 1995. Then the athlete became the world boxing champion among military personnel, winning a large number of fights. In November 1996, after a successful career in amateur boxing (95 wins, 80 knockouts, 15 losses), he made his debut in the professional ring at the same time as his brother Vladimir.

In 1999, Vitali Klitschko won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) world title, but lost it the following year to American Chris Byrd. It was in a duel with an American boxer that Vitaly suffered the first defeat in his professional career. During the last rounds, Vitali Klitschko actually “gave up” on his own, giving victory to the US representative.

Initially, the Ukrainian was supposed to take part in the fight with Donovan Ruddock, but the Canadian athlete had health problems the day before, so Bird replaced him in the battle. The reason for the defeat was that Vitaly received a shoulder injury, which did not allow him to complete the fight with the usual success; due to unbearable pain, he voluntarily gave the victory to his opponent.

On June 21, 2003, a legendary fight with a Briton took place in Los Angeles. The American media called this fight a “battle of gladiators.” During the break between the 6th and 7th rounds, the fight was stopped and Lewis was awarded the victory by technical knockout, since Klitschko had a severe cut to his left eyebrow. The results of the meeting are still considered controversial, and the British victory is called unfair.

In 2004, having defeated American Corey Saunders, Vitaly nevertheless became the world champion according to the World Boxing Council (WBC). With this title, he unexpectedly announced his retirement from sports in November 2005. Vitali Klitschko publicly announced that he was forced to leave professional boxing due to an injury.

In 2007, he intended to return to wrestling, but his de facto return took place a year later, since in 2007 the athlete was again seriously injured. This time he had back problems, which could only be corrected through surgery.

The first fight after a three-year pause took place in December 2008 in Germany - then the Ukrainian boxer fought with Samuel Peter, the WBC champion. Vitaly constantly dominated during this fight, so between the 8th and 9th rounds Peter refused to continue the fight.

In a fight against American Kevin Johnson in December 2009, Vitali Klitschko set a new record for thrown jabs in the heavyweight division, which were recorded in one fight - 749. In May 2010, Klitschko defended his title in a meeting with European champion Albert Sosnowski (nickname "Dragon" ) from Poland, in October of the same year - with the American Shannon Briggs.

In February 2012, Vitali won a fight against the British of Zimbabwean origin Dereck Chisora, who constantly insulted the Klitschko brothers. Rudeness was punished.

Titles and achievements

• In 1999, he was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the first world heavyweight champion to win 26 fights by knockout. To achieve a similar result, he needed the least number of rounds. Thus, Klitschko broke the previous record, which was held by the famous.
• The World Boxing Council recognized the Ukrainian as the best puncher in the history of the heavyweight division.
• Vitaliy Klitschko has repeatedly become the world professional boxing champion according to the WBO (1999, 2000) and WBC (2004, 2005 and 2008).

• He is also a six-time world champion in kickboxing, champion of the First World Military Games, three-time champion of Ukraine in boxing, multiple European champion among professionals and silver medalist of the World Amateur Boxing Championship.
• Awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of Ukraine.
• In 2003, Vitali and Vladimir Klitschko presented to the public their book “Our Fitness. Simple secrets of champions."

Policy

In April 2006, Vitaliy Klitschko was elected as a deputy of the Kyiv City Council, and in October of the same year he was appointed advisor to the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, since the famous athlete was an active supporter of the Orange Revolution. Twice Vitaliy Klitschko ran extremely unsuccessfully for the post of mayor of Kyiv (2006, 2008).

In April 2010, he was elected head of the political party UDAR (Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms).

Vitali Klitschko and his party "Udar"

Klitschko’s program spells out five main areas, among which are the transparent and optimal use of the Kyiv budget, the fight against corruption, constant dialogue with citizens, and increasing the comfort of living in the Ukrainian capital. Today, the head of the city administration is trying to realize his promises by fulfilling the political program.

The first thing the newly-minted mayor did was to declare “war” on illegal MAFs (Small Architectural Forms): the Kiev head became more active in the fight against stall owners who did not pay taxes to the city treasury. Another innovation in Kyiv with the arrival of the former boxer to the post of head of the Ukrainian capital was a significant increase in the price of utilities - the mayor increased their cost by one and a half to two times, which caused indignation among the townspeople.

Maidan

In 2013, Vitaliy Klitschko gradually manifests himself in the processes taking place in society. Since November of the same year, together with the People's Deputy of Ukraine, as well as the head of the All-Ukrainian Association "Freedom" Oleg Tyagnibok, he led protest actions in Ukraine.

The events in Ukraine in 2014 are significant in Klitschko’s life. Many citizens who did not agree with the government’s policies already saw Vitaly Vladimirovich as the president of the country. During Euromaidan, the presence of a world-famous personality on the barricades inspired people to believe in victory.

Many believed in Klitschko, considering him a strong leader who is capable of changing the situation for the better and leading the Ukrainian nation to prosperity. In part, this “popular faith” allowed him to become the mayor of Kyiv, but soon the participants in the revolutionary events became disillusioned with the actions of the ex-boxer due to the merger of the Udar party with the pro-presidential political force Bloc Solidarity.

The politician also publicly spoke about his intention to participate in the presidential elections on May 25, 2014, but later, unexpectedly for the entire Ukrainian political community, he abandoned this idea. On the eve of the presidential elections, Vitali Klitschko's rating changed significantly for the worse, and there was no confidence in victory. Then, having set his priorities, Vitaly Vladimirovich decided to abandon his presidential ambitions and take part in the elections for the mayor of the Ukrainian capital.

Personal life

The personal life of Vitali Klitschko is not hidden “behind seven locks” from the press, as sometimes happens in political circles. It is known that since April 26, 1996, the current mayor of Kyiv has been officially married to former fashion model and athlete Natalya Egorova. After the wedding, she took her husband's surname. His wife constantly supported Vitaly during all his performances in the ring.

The Klitschko family has three children - two boys and a girl. The first child, Egor-Daniel, was born in 2000, and in 2002, a daughter, Elizaveta-Victoria, appeared in the ex-boxer’s family. It is known that on April 1, 2005, Vitali Klitschko became a father for the third time - his son Maxim was born.

Income

According to the financial and economic magazine Forbes, in 2016, Vitali Klitschko’s fortune amounted to $43.9 million. American analysts published such statistics based on a study of e-declarations that Ukrainian officials and representatives of the public made in 2016.

Thus, in terms of income, the mayor of Kyiv took 11th place in the ranking of the richest officials and people's deputies in the country.

Jokes and quotes

Vitaliy Klitschko is a prominent figure in Ukrainian politics not only because of his activities as mayor of Kyiv. He is also known for his statements, which created a real sensation on the Internet, and Twitter users have long recorded his thoughts in the “best category.”

Klitschko’s quotes immediately received a huge response in society; Internet users began to edit all kinds of videos and photos from his speeches. Some of these videos instantly gained millions of views on well-known video hosting sites.

Vitali Klitschko's jokes are very popular on the Internet and in the media. The Kiev mayor does not skimp on funny, even sometimes absurd, expressions. The former athlete knows about such popularity: Vitali Klitschko once even planned to publish his statements in Russia in the form of a collection book in order to use the proceeds to provide the residents of Kiev with the missing warmth.

In 2016, many online publications reported that Russian pranksters and Lexus played a prank on Vitali Klitschko by talking to him in English about security measures during Eurovision 2017.

The most popular joke of Vitali Klitschko is a message to the people of Kiev, in which the head of Kiev called on the inhabitants of the Ukrainian capital to “get ready for the earth”, making a reservation in the word “winter”, because this was said in the context of preparations for the coming winter and the beginning of the heating season in the capital of Ukraine.

In 2015, the mayor of Kyiv was outraged by the situation with snow removal on city streets. The city was literally blocked due to heavy snowfalls. In one of his interviews, Vitaly Vladimirovich admitted that utility services failed to cope with the problem, and he himself, “becoming mayor, began to hate snow.”

At one of the meetings, the mayor of Kyiv Vitaliy Klitschko criticized his deputies:

“I have two deputies, four of whom have been in the cabinet for a month now, and who cannot be appointed. I do not know why".

During an inspection of the housing and communal infrastructure in the Obolonsky district, another, already classic case of misunderstanding by the city manager of certain processes was recorded. The mayor analyzed a new project to purify tap water without the use of chlorine, “evaluating with his own eyes the quality of such a procedure”:

“I don’t see any odors at all.”

On November 22, 2013, on the TV show “Shuster LIVE,” Vitaly Vladimirovich shared his philosophical thoughts about “tomorrow”:

“And today, not everyone can watch tomorrow. Or rather, not only everyone can watch. Few people can do this.”

Defeat #1. Vitali Klitschko - Oleg Maskaev

According to available information, Maskaev and Klitschko met in 1991 in Uzbekistan at the USSR Armed Forces boxing championship. Then Maskaev won by technical knockout

Viktor Ulyanich, the long-time head coach of the USSR and Russian Armed Forces boxing teams, recalls:

“I remember well the fight between Oleg and Vitaly at the championship of the USSR Armed Forces in 1991. I can’t say that it was just in seconds, but my memory retained many details. I confirm that Maskaev won without question, by technical knockout. The fight itself was far from being called spectacular, I don’t really like those, to be honest. Oleg “ironed” Klitschko in his own way, held his hands high and threw a lot of punches. Vitaly was very thin at that time, with long arms, he tried not to let Maskaev get close. I remember very well how his coach was in the corner. , the famous Kiev specialist Anatoly Klemanov constantly shouted: “Keep him at a distance, don’t let him in!” For which he even received a remark from the referee. At some point, when Maskaev completely “kneaded” his opponent, a towel was thrown out of Klitschko’s corner.”

The video of the fight Vitali Klitschko - Oleg Maskaev has not yet been found

Defeat #2. Vitali Klitschko - Alexey Lezin

In 1995, Alexey Lezin and Vitali Klitschko met in the final of the World Boxing Championship among military personnel. Lezin won on points.

Defeat #3. Vitali Klitschko - Chris Bird

Vitali Klitschko's first defeat in the professional ring. On April 1, 2000, Vitaly defended the WBO world champion title for the third time. Vitaly's opponent in this fight was supposed to be the American veteran Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. However, ten days before the fight, Donovan refused the meeting, citing a sudden outbreak of hepatitis. Promoter Vitaly Klaus-Peter Kohl finds a new opponent for American boxer Chris "Rapid Fire" Byrd a week before the fight.

Already from the first round, Bird began to pose as an invulnerable target - and, oddly enough, he succeeded! Byrd endlessly eluded Klitschko's blows, provoking him to attack. Countless withdrawals, dodges, and maneuvers by Byrd shook our boxer, whose “iron” fist cut through the air much more often than it reached the American’s round head.

Vitali Klitschko refused to continue fighting in the tenth round. When victory was announced, the American loudly declared: “This is wonderful! I could not even dream that I would beat Klitschko!”

Defeat #4. Vitali Klitschko - Lennox Lewis

June 21, 2003 Los Angeles, California. WBC world title fight between Vitali Klitschko and Lennox Lewis. Despite the defeat, I consider this fight to be the brightest and most significant in Vitaly’s career.

Lennox's opponent, Kirk Johnson, was injured while preparing for the upcoming fight. An offer to fight Lennox Lewis was made to Vitaly, which he immediately accepted. Lennox and Vitaly found out that they would meet in the ring 10 days before the fight!

In the sixth round, the fight was stopped at the request of the doctor, and Lewis was awarded a victory over the Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko. The final decision of the judges: technical knockout due to a cut in the Ukrainian's eyebrow.

The German publication Bild reports that the 41-year-old Ukrainian made such a decision.

Klitschko refused to hold a rematch with the Briton Anthony Joshua, which was scheduled for November 11, 2017. On April 29, 2017, the Ukrainian lost to Joshua by technical knockout in the 11th round. The 27-year-old Briton received the world heavyweight champion titles according to the World Boxing Association (WBA), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the International Boxing Organization (IBO).

"It's my turn to do it"

“It took me a few weeks to make the decision to distance myself from the Joshua fight at Wembley. As an amateur and professional, I have achieved everything I dreamed of. Now I want to start a different career. I never thought that I would perform in the ring for so long and successfully. And I'm very grateful for that. “Thank you to everyone who supported me, especially my family, team and fans,” these were the boxer’s words released by his press service.

In connection with the end of his career, Vladimir Klitschko recorded a video message to his fans, posting it on Twitter. “Now it’s my turn to do it. I do this, yes, with some trepidation, but I am absolutely ready for new challenges. I expect and hope that my next career, which I planned and already started in parallel several years ago, will become at least as successful as the previous one,” Klitschko said.

The decision of Wladimir Klitschko marks the end of an entire era in boxing, which was called the “era of the Klitschko brothers.” Some adored this era, others hated it fiercely, but there is no doubt that Vitaly and Vladimir left a bright mark on the history of sports.

From kickboxing to Olympic gold: how they started

Their journey in sports began in the 1980s. The sons of a Soviet Army officer were fond of martial arts. Vitaly, who is five years older than his brother, was involved in kickboxing. Klitschko achieved great success in this sport - he became world champion six times (four times among professionals and two times among amateurs).

Still, the popularity of kickboxing was not comparable to boxing. In 1995, Vitali Klitschko entered the boxing ring, where he very quickly proved his worth. At the 1995 World Amateur Championship he reached the final, where he lost only to the Russian Alexey Lezin. It is curious that Lezin will defeat Vladimir Klitschko at the 1996 European Championships, but then lose to him in the semi-finals of the 1996 Olympics.

Vladimir Klitschko began his boxing career at the age of 14. In 1993 he won the European Junior Championships, and in 1995 he won the World Military Championships.

The peak of Vladimir Klitschko's amateur career was his victory at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. It was initially planned that Ukraine would be represented at the tournament by his older brother Vitaly, but he tested positive for steroids, which he used to treat an injury.

Germany's favorites

After the 1996 Olympics, the Klitschko brothers decided to turn professional, signing a contract with Universum Box-Promotion. Their joint debut took place on November 16, 1996 in Wandsbek, Germany. Vitaly knocked out the American Tony Braham, and Vladimir also defeated the Italian ahead of schedule Fabiana Mezu.

In just a couple of years, Vitaly and Vladimir became the favorites of Germany, where they lived, trained and fought.

Both did not hide their ambitious plans to become world champions. Vitaly was the first to reach the waist. On June 26, 1999 in London, he scored his 25th career victory, knocking out the British Herbie Hyde, and receiving the WBO world title.

By this time, Vladimir had already known the bitterness of defeat, losing to the American in his 25th fight Ross Purity.

On April 1, 2000, in Berlin, Vitali Klitschko suffered his first fiasco, losing to the American Chris Bird. The lost WBO world title was returned to the family by Vladimir, defeating Byrd on October 14, 2000.

“Ukrainian Rocky”: the legendary fight of Vitaliy Klitschko

And yet, in the boxing world, the attitude towards the brothers was restrained. If the Germans idolized them, overseas their restrained style of fighting was considered almost an outrage against this sport.

One fight changed everything. In June 2003, the British Lennox Lewis, WBC world champion, was scheduled to fight Kirk Johnson. However, Lewis' opponent was injured.

It was proposed to replace him with Vitali Klitschko. The Ukrainian had only two weeks to prepare - an unrealistically short period considering that he had to fight with the strongest heavyweight in the world at that time.

Nobody bet on Vitaly, but this fight became a legend. The Ukrainian fought with Lewis on equal terms and was close to sending the Briton to the floor of the ring, but the fight was stopped due to a severe cut on Klitschko. At this moment, according to the judges' notes, Vitaly was leading, but according to the rules, since the damage was received from legal blows, the victory was awarded to Lewis.

Klitschko, his face covered in blood, roared with rage and demanded that the fight continue. This did not bring results, but now the elder Klitschko has gained recognition and respect in the boxing world.

Empire of brothers: how they won everything

In December 2003, Vitali Klitschko knocked out Kirk Johnson, whom he replaced in the fight with Lewis, in the second round.

Lewis, by the way, ended his career after the fight with Klitschko. That is why in 2004 Vitaly challenged the vacant WBC champion title in a fight with a South African Corrie Sanders. The brilliant victory brought the Ukrainian a new championship belt.

In March 2003, Sanders took the WBO title from Wladimir. For Klitschko Jr., this was the second defeat in his career, which was soon followed by a third - in April 2004, Wladimir was knocked out by American Lymon Brewster.

Vitaly, exhausted by injuries, announced his retirement at the end of 2005.

It seemed that Klitschko was finished. But everything was just beginning.

On April 22, 2006, Vladimir returned to the throne - in Mannheim he knocked out Chris Byrd and won the IBF world title.

From this moment on, Klitschko Jr. will not know defeat for almost ten years. In February 2008, Vladimir will be taken away from the Russian Sultana Ibragimov WBO world title, and in 2011, defeating the British David Hay, will also add the WBA title.

The only title that Vladimir did not have - the WBC championship belt - belonged to Vitaly.

After a four-year break, 37-year-old Klitschko entered the ring against the Nigerian on October 11, 2008 Samuel Peter and won. This triumph was called "Comeback of the Year" by The Ring magazine.

“We promised mom that we wouldn’t fight each other.”

The brothers' dream came true - all the championship titles in the main versions of professional boxing were in their hands.

The question of who is cooler - Vitaly or Vladimir - tormented the fans, but a fight between the brothers was impossible. “We promised our mother that we would not fight each other so as not to break her heart,” the Klitschkos said, and even the most generous financial offers could not change this decision. In order to satisfy the fan's hunger, cunning entrepreneurs created a game in which brothers still go into the ring against each other.

The brotherly empire in boxing lasted until September 8, 2012. On this day, Vitali Klitschko knocked out a German in Moscow to the applause of an enthusiastic Russian public. Manuel Charra, defending his title for the ninth time in a row.

Vitaly officially announced his retirement from boxing in December 2013, at the height of Euromaidan, of which Klitschko Sr. was an active participant.

Mayoral continuation: the Klitschko brothers and politics

Many people guessed that the most famous Ukrainians in the world, building their careers according to Western patterns, would probably end up in politics. But how and under what circumstances Vitali Klitschko stepped into it did not add to his popularity.

Today Klitschko Sr. is the mayor of Kyiv and one of the popular Ukrainian politicians. But the adoration and love that Klitschko the athlete had is no longer there. Russians turned away from Klitschko the politician, who did not understand many of his words and actions. And residents of eastern Ukraine, especially Donbass, cannot forgive belonging to the current regime. Vitaly’s inability to master his own speech has become the talk of the town, which is why many of his statements become more popular than jokes.

Vladimir Klitschko successfully continued his career, although the echo of the “Ukrainian crisis” hit him too. For example, Russian TV stopped showing fights involving a Ukrainian boxer.

Leave with dignity

Ironically, Vladimir’s return to Russian screens took place in a fight that was his last. On April 29, 2017, Klitschko lost by knockout in the 11th round to Anthony Joshua. For the first time in his career, Vladimir lost his second fight in a row - in the fall of 2015, he lost his titles, losing on points to the British Tyson Fury.

Klitschko's last fight with Joshua was not a beating. It was a battle of equal rivals, in which the scales swung first one way and then the other. But Joshua is 14 years younger. When the Briton was born, Vladimir was already beating his first opponents in the boxing section. When Klitschko became the champion of the Atlanta Games, Joshua was about to go to first grade.

Obviously, time is against Klitschko in this case. Anthony Joshua is young and talented, and has the chance to open a new era in boxing history. Having assessed all this, Vladimir Klitschko decided to leave with dignity.

Vitali Klitschko had 47 fights in the professional ring, winning 45, 41 of them by knockout.

Vladimir Klitschko had 69 fights in the professional ring, scoring 64 victories, 53 of them by knockout.

The debate about the style of the Klitschko brothers and their place in history will continue. We can speculate endlessly about how their fights would have gone with Mike Tyson in his prime or Muhammad Ali in his prime. The reality is this: Vitali and Vladimir Klitschko have been the strongest heavyweight boxers in the world for more than a decade, and no one has been able to prove their inconsistency.

And, regardless of their political views, this is a reason to take off my hat to them.

The main heavyweight fight of the year ended in defeat. The Ukrainian lost to his student by technical knockout in the 11th round. The 27-year-old Briton, who worked in the Klitschko camp as a sparring partner in 2014, won three world champion belts and became the main force in world boxing. How this happened is in the review.

The fight, which had been tirelessly talked about in recent months, could not turn out boring. Vladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua beat 71 opponents by knockout between them and could hardly do without risk in a head-to-head meeting. The fight fully lived up to expectations, although it began with very timid reconnaissance.

In the first round, the opponents seemed to be so afraid of each other that they did not even dare to actively use the jab. Klitschko captured the territory, but did not attack, and his younger opponent just waited. In the absolute warm-up period, the advantage could have been given to anyone, but Vladimir was still a little more active.

At the very beginning of the second round, the first effective action happened: Klitschko brought a straight right to Joshua’s face, but the Briton didn’t really feel the blow. The three-minute period also turned out to be an exploratory period, where the judges could give the palm to any of the boxers, depending on taste preferences.

The third and fourth rounds also did not indulge the viewer with an abundance of acute moments, but in these segments Joshua was already clearly in the lead. He boxed faster, hit more accurately and forced Klitschko to clinch. Vladimir continued to actively move around the ring, he was not shocked, but it was felt that it was becoming more and more difficult for him to keep up with his young opponent.

“First blood” was shed in the fifth round. Feeling his superiority, Joshua launched a furious attack: he threw a hail of blows at his opponent, shook him a couple of times and finally “dropped” him. Klitschko was knocked down, but immediately jumped to his feet and came to his senses. The Ukrainian did not allow the Briton to finish him off and spent the second half of the round with an advantage. At the end of the fifth three-minute period, Joshua was barely dragging his feet and several times was a millimeter from a knockdown.

In the sixth round, the Briton finally went to the ground. Klitschko was in complete control throughout the entire period, and it seemed that the Olympic champion from Watford had run out of gas. One of Klitschko’s many twos (left straight, right side) reached the goal, and Joshua fell sideways onto the canvas. At first it even seemed that the fight would end, but Anthony stood up, reaching the gong with great difficulty.

Klitschko not only evened out the difficult battle, but also seized the initiative. The seventh and eighth rounds passed at a low pace, but with clear dominance of the Ukrainian. The fight acquired the usual character for Klitschko Jr.: sluggish, but leaving no doubt about the superiority of the Ukrainian. After eight rounds, not many would have risked betting on the visibly tired Englishman to win.

The situation once again turned upside down in the final rounds. If in the ninth and tenth Klitschko was still relatively confident, despite his rather swollen eye, then in the 11th there came an unexpected denouement. The Ukrainian began to slow down. Perhaps he decided to calmly see things through to victory on points, but the plan did not work. Joshua rushed on the attack from the first seconds of the 11th three-minute period and caught Wladimir with an uppercut that had not come to him since his fights with Corrie Sanders in 2003. Klitschko missed a brutal blow to the chin, staggered, tried to dodge the finish with feints, but could not survive. Several of Anthony's blows pierced Vladimir's defense and sent him into a second knockdown - much more severe.

With enormous difficulty, Klitschko stood up, but this only slightly delayed the inevitable. Joshua rushed to finish and literally crushed his opponent. Klitschko was knocked down again, and it became completely clear: youth will win over experience. The 41-year-old Ukrainian miraculously rose to his feet again, but the Englishman, who smelled blood, did not miss his chance: he rushed into the attack, pinned his opponent against the ropes and left the referee no choice but to stop the fight and record Anthony’s victory by technical knockout. By this point, the Briton was leading on points on the scores of two of the three judges (96:93, 95:93), the third judge gave the advantage to Vladimir (95:93).

According to many experts, this is the end of the era of the Klitschko brothers in world boxing. Other fighters are looking to tomorrow, and the elite list will be headed by Anthony Joshua, who now holds three world heavyweight titles - WBA (Super), IBF and IBO. The London 2012 Olympic champion has 19 victories in the professional ring in 19 fights (all by knockout). Klitschko lost the fifth fight in his career and the second in a row. He has 64 victories in 69 fights (53 by knockout).

The 41-year-old Ukrainian himself, despite the defeat, does not rule out a rematch. “I hope you enjoyed the fight. The best one won today. It was an amazing event for boxing. Two gentlemen fought, and one of them was better than the other. I expected to win, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. I pay my respects to Anthony. Our contract stipulates the possibility of revenge. But I need to first analyze what the hell happened. I wanted to raise my hand as a winner, but instead I lost for the second fight in a row,” Klitschko said immediately after the final bell.

The Hollywood actor and great friend of the Klitschko brothers expressed hope that the revenge would still take place. “It was one of the most exciting fights I have ever seen. Congratulations to Anthony Joshua for defeating Wladimir Klitschko in an amazing fight. I hope for a rematch,” he wrote on Twitter.”

Joshua, talking about revenge, did not run ahead of the locomotive, first of all, thanking his opponent for the fight. “I'm not perfect, but I'm working on myself. You can be a phenomenal fighter, but boxing is, first and foremost, about character. After the knockdown, I fought with my heart. This was the only chance to win. Only in fights like this do you find out what you really are,” Joshua said.

Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

There is no doubt that millions of fans around the world would happily watch a repeat fight between the Ukrainian and the Briton, but the feasibility of such a fight is questionable. Is it worth it for the legendary fighter, who is in his fifties, to risk his health so much again? “The Klitschko era is over. They are great boxers. Without any doubt. Dominate this weight for so many years! Now something new awaits us, apparently,” Ryabinsky wrote on Twitter.

The Klitschko brothers have dominated the heavyweight division for nearly 20 years, and boxing is on the cusp of big changes. There is no doubt that the new era will be no less exciting than the outgoing one. You won't get bored with fighters like Anthony Joshua and Dentay Wilder.

The Klitschko brothers have written their names in golden letters in the history of world boxing. Their real name, we all remember, was desperately misinterpreted by announcers at the beginning of their sports careers. Vitaly and Vladimir only smiled in response, patiently explaining the reason for the confusion. I remember that one of the witty announcers on one of the American channels joked then, asking how many Klitschko brothers there were in total. Then, however, he apologized.

Athletes with a difficult surname

Indeed, there may be confusion in the spelling of the surname. After all, most often media information about athletes was broadcast from Russian to Ukrainian, and vice versa. Moreover, as you know, the Ukrainian “i” in Russian is pronounced like “y”.

If we analyze the surname of athletes from the standpoint of German grammar, then we will encounter an interesting association. The word klitsch means “kick” in German. Plus, based on sports abbreviations, K.O. interpreted as a knockout.

Isn’t it symbolic for the athletes whom fans awarded with the nicknames Doctor Iron Fist (Vitaly) and Doctor Steel Hammer (Vladimir)?

However, very soon the world remembered: the new super heavyweight megastars in boxing are called the Klitschko brothers. Their real surname is now well known on all continents. The reason for this is a bright sports career. In addition, they are sociable, open, and friendly. Although they always emphasize their Ukrainian citizenship, people in Germany also consider them “one of their own.”

Childhood of boys' idols

Any boy in Ukraine who is interested in boxing knows where the Klitschko brothers were born. And they appeared in the family of a Soviet officer. Their father, a military pilot, graduated from service with the rank of major general, military attaché in Germany. He took an active part in eliminating the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. The resulting radiation exposure had a tragic effect on the general's health - cancer and premature death at the age of 65.

Vitaly was born on July 19, 1971 in the village of Belovodskoye, Kirghiz SSR. Vladimir - 03/25/1976 in the village of Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR.

Father Vladimir Rodionovich instilled in them a desire for goodness, a sense of justice, perseverance, and a love of physical exercise. The guys got the opportunity to seriously engage in sports later, after their parents arrived in Ukraine in 1985. The Klitschko brothers felt the need for sports self-realization. They were real romantics, maximalists.

Fourteen-year-old Vitaly was the first to attend boxing training. Three years later - Vladimir. In childhood, the age difference of 5 years is very fundamental. It would not be a mistake to say that Vitaly had the traits of a real champion character even then. His younger brother followed him. The Klitschko brothers dreamed of professional boxing, admiring the rising star Mike Tyson.

Career

The guys were lucky with their first coach. It was Vladimir Alekseevich Zolotarev. He patiently and consistently led talented athletes to high sporting achievements. He treated his brothers as his sons, because Vitaly was his godson, and Vladimir was his wife’s godson.

It took Vitaly only six years to grow to the level of an international master of sports. For three years in a row he became the champion of Ukraine, and then, in 1995, the champion of the World Military Games. Vladimir also reached an international competitive level: at the 26th Olympic Games in Atlanta he won a gold medal for Ukraine.

Universum Box Primition Club

1996 became a fundamental milestone for both athletes: the Klitschko brothers drew a line under amateur sports by signing a contract with Universum Box Primition. Promising boxers began to be trained by the famous specialist Fritz Sdunek.

The brothers' professional career began brightly - with victories. Three years later, Vitaly’s achievement will grace the Guinness Book of Records: having become the WBO world champion in 1999, he then won 26 fights in a row by knockout. By the way, he became the first world champion in professional boxing among the Slavs in history.

Let us recall the most striking victories of these Ukrainian athletes in the rank of professionals until 2005. Even if their sports career ended with this milestone, the International Boxing Hall of Fame would still forever be decorated with a photo and biography of the Klitschko brothers. By that time, Vitaly had already established himself as an outstanding boxer. Judge for yourself...

• 05/02/1998 - knockout in the fifth round of the British Dickie Ryan (WBO intercontinental champion title);
• 10/24/1998 - knockout in the second round of Mario Schiesser (Germany), winning the European title;
• 06/26/1999 - in the second half of the second round, Vitaly knocks out Briton Herbie Hyde with a left cross and a right hook, becoming the WBO world champion;
• 01/27/2001 - knockout in the first round within the first minute in the fight against Orlin Norris (USA), WBA intercontinental champion title.

Vladimir:

• February 1998 - knockout of American boxer Everett Martin, WBC intercontinental champion title;
• October 2000 - victory on points in a 12-round fight against American Chris Byrd, winning the WBO world title (a title that Chris Byrd then took from Vitaly, defeating him with the help of ideal tactics of dodging blows).

Vitaly's forced decision. Return of the Champion

In 2005, having received his fourth serious injury, Vitaly made a difficult decision for himself - to leave his favorite sport. For two years. However, the treatment turned out to be longer. Nevertheless, in 2008, the boxer took advantage of the champion's right to choose an opponent for the next fight. In March, his fight took place with the then-current WBC world champion Samuel Peter.

Vitaly took the high title from him. Subsequently, heavy backs and shoulders received in the ring forced the great athlete to end his career. The elder Klitschko ended his last fight in 2011 with the Cuban Odlanier Fonte by knockout.

Vladimir's boxing career after 2005

After winning his first WBO championship belt in a fight with Chris Byrd (2000), Vladimir, despite losing this championship from Corrie Sanders, continued to progress as a boxer. Experts were inclined to think about the significant sports potential of the Ukrainian.

In 2006, he took the IBF champion title from Chris Byrd by technical knockout at the beginning of the 7th round.

02/23/2008 Vladimir, having an advantage, won the WBO world champion title from the Russian boxer Sultan Ibragimov.

06/20/2009, the brother of Vitali Klitschko, in a duel with another Russian, Ruslan Chigaev, stopped by the latter’s seconds, receives the WBA champion title.

By 2011, the Klitschko brothers held all but one of the famous super heavyweight championship belts. Soon the opportunity presented itself to get it too. 07/02/2011 Vladimir fought with Briton David Haye for the WBA champion title and won

Vladimir Klichko. As the Steel Was Tempered

The defeats of the Klitschko brothers are a special topic. After all, it was they who gave them the opportunity to rethink strategy and tactics and make the necessary adjustments to their training process. They couldn't exist. After all, brothers are always in sight. The recordings of their fights are played hundreds of times by the opponents' boxing headquarters, looking for gaps and deficiencies in the defense.

For almost twenty years now, the boxing of the Klitschko brothers has been a significant incentive and, undoubtedly, a useful irritant for the development of the world super-heavy boxing division.

The beginning of Vladimir’s professional career was not easy. But at this time, learning from his mistakes, he progressed rapidly.

Three opponents managed to beat Vladimir, outright outplaying him in the ring.

The first of them was the American Ros Purity (12/05/1998). 32 years old versus 22. Experience and endurance won. The athlete with the nickname Boss withstood eight rounds under a hail of blows from Vladimir, and then imposed his fight on the exhausted opponent, who was physically not ready for the full distance of 12 rounds.

The second defeat to Vladimir was inflicted on 03/08/2003 by a South African. In the battle, he fully justified his nickname Sniper. He managed to find a weakness in Vladimir's defense, the key to which was a left direct blow. This fight was sad for the younger brother. He was unable to adapt to his opponent. Corrie beat, and Vladimir fell...

The third defeat from the American on April 10, 2004 turned out to be mysterious and dramatic. After the bell of the fifth round, the Ukrainian, not reaching his corner, simply collapsed onto the ring cover. The fight was interrupted, doctors diagnosed his blood sugar level as critical.

Vladimir's defeat in 2015

For 11 years, Vitali Klitschko’s brother did not know defeat. However, sport is sport... On November 28, 2015, a basketball-sized Briton, nicknamed with more impressive anthropometry, defeated Vladimir, taking all his championship belts.

This fight was not the best for Klitschko Jr. He didn't win it. However, he didn’t lose. Experts say that the fight was equal... According to world practice, in such cases the victory is awarded to the champion. But not in this fight. Obviously, the judges wanted to put an end to the “Klitschko era.” Fury dominated rounds 8-11. Because of the length of his arms, his jab was more effective. Vladimir never managed to find the optimal distance to his opponent.

But in the 12th round, the younger Klitschko finally moved away from many years of established templates, which turned out to be ineffective, began to take risks, “shot in”: Fury kept a tight defense in the corner. However, this was not enough to win.

Some experts say that the reason for the defeat is the age of the Klitschko brothers (this year Wladimir turns 40 years old, while Tyson Fury is only 28). However, the athlete's coach Jonathan Banks said in an interview that he did not agree with this. He considers the cause of defeat to be removable deficiencies in the training process.

Indeed, such a long dominance of two brother athletes in the super heavyweight division is unique. It is only possible with the highest skill and dedication. Idle discussions in the press about how old the Klitschko brothers are do not reflect the sporting and life potential of these Ukrainians.

Brothers Conversation

After the defeat by Fury, the brothers discussed the feasibility of Vladimir’s future career in a conversation. The elder Klitschko said about his brother that he could calmly retire from boxing as a legend.

After all, unifying three championship belts in professional boxing is a super task that only a few can achieve. However, Vitaly pointed out another option - to prove to everyone that the defeat was accidental. Vladimir chose the second path, deciding to take advantage of the right of revenge.

An episode of tension

This happened ten years ago, after Wladimir's defeat by Lymon Brewster. The real reason for the loss is still shrouded in mystery. The Ukrainian boxer, who fell onto the ring platform after the 5th round gong, was unable to get up on his own. The rapid tests carried out gave reason to suspect an unknown type of poisoning. Judging by the test results, the mighty hero suddenly turned into a disabled person.

However, while the incident was being investigated by the competent services, Vitaly was already taking his brother to the hospital. He was very afraid of losing him, afraid for his life. Therefore, in a conversation with him, I insisted on completing sports performances.

After this, Vladimir began to feel depressed. He feared the end of his career more than death. Klitschko Jr. claimed that his real life was boxing. A short but fundamental conflict arose between the brothers.

Then, in 2004. Vladimir did not allow Vitaly to attend his training camp. Subsequently, he recovered, conquered himself, and believed in his own strength. The brothers, of course, soon made peace.

Concluding the story of this dark story, let us mention some of its essential details. The FBI was investigating the incident. His results were kept secret.

Not by boxing alone

Talking about the brothers, it is impossible not to recall Umberto Eco’s brilliant quote from his novel “Foucault’s Pendulum” that a genius always plays on one component, but does it brilliantly, so all other components are automatically connected to the game. For the Klitschko brothers, professional boxing served as a powerful social lift.

He gave them prosperity, fame in the world, popularity. In 2011, in the ranking of the richest Ukrainians published by Korrespondent magazine, the brothers took a place in the top hundred with a capital of $55 million. They receive income from advertising for the Mercedes automobile company, from the Telecom telephone company, from the vitamin manufacturer Eunova, and from the McFit gym chain.

It is impossible not to mention the new career of boxing heavyweight Vitali Klitschko - political. As the mayor of Kyiv, he is always visible.

Vladimir also has hobbies outside the ring. In addition to sports, he also has artistic abilities. It is no coincidence that Klitschko Jr. can be seen as an actor in the films “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Blood and sweat: Anabolics,” and “Handsome Man.” He has already starred in 12 film series: “Blood Brothers”, “Conan”, “Breakfast”, “Our Best”, “Gym”.

Vladimir recently made his debut as a teacher at the University of St. Gallen. He is also developing a program from KMG and the University of Switzerland to teach people the art of success.

Vitaly and Vladimir jointly implement social projects through the Klitschko Brothers Foundation. With its help, they use borrowed and own funds for sports and general education training of the younger generation. The fund is the largest investor in sports projects in Ukraine. With its funding, more than 130 children's sports grounds have been opened. It annually finances the largest international junior boxing tournament in the CIS and the only one in the world for the Klitschko brothers prize.

Conclusion

People who have achieved public recognition and personal well-being through professional fulfillment deserve respect.

Now the world certainly knows the names of the Klitschko brothers. And this is not surprising, because with their charisma, intelligence, sportsmanship and, of course, boxing style, they contributed to the development and popularization of this sport. They are willingly invited to TV shows and interviewed. As a matter of fact, they did more to popularize Ukraine in the world than all its diplomats.