- Vitali Klitschko is the current mayor of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv
- Vitali had his name to the world even before taking a step further to become the mayor of Kyiv
- He was a heavyweight champion with 45 wins out of his 47 professional matches
- His younger brother Wladimir Klitschko is a retired boxer too with 64 wins and five losses
It’s hard to imagine anyone ever beating Vitali Klitschko. He always had his name to the world even before taking a step further to become the mayor of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine.
However, the Russia Ukraine war cast another light on him as he leads his people in the war front to defend Kyiv.
What’s interesting is the resilience and charisma he oozes that his people follow him without asking questions.
There are few heavyweights who have ever attained the kind of physicality that Klitschko had. He has an 87.23 percent knockout rate that ranks second in the division’s history after the 87.76 percent mark set by Rocky Marciano.
Nonetheless, it’s probable that Vitali Klitschko, the best heavyweight boxer in the previous 35 years, will be remembered more for his political exploits than for his accomplishments in the ring.
His political exploits saw him successfully elected the mayor of Kyiv – this is what made him famous. The Russian invasion shed special spotlight on the former boxer.
Vitali Klitschko is the older brother to Wladimir Klitschko, a WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion.
Kyiv Mayor, VITALY KLITCHKO. Photo/Bleacher Report
WAS VITALI BETTER THAN WLADIMIR?
Compared to his older brother, Wladimir had a more successful career. However, Wladimir battled and defeated more world champions than Vitali who had 45 victories, two losses.
Wladimir, on the other hand had 64 wins and five losses under his belt, when he retired 2017.
Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions, promoted both Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko. He says the dominant champion – Vitali – was underappreciated, particularly by American fight fans.
“Vitali is really one of the most underappreciated athletes ever. It’s unfortunate. He was one of the most dominant fighters of this era—maybe ever. He never really lost a round in a fight,” Loeffler told Bleacher Report
In fact, Vitali only lost two fights in his entire career.
In April 2000, Vitali faced Chris Byrd for the third time in an attempt to retain his WBO heavyweight title. He won the first two rounds before being forced to retire due to a shoulder injury.
The boxing media and fans quickly called him a quitter following the defeat.
Vitali Klitschko. Photo/Eurosport
WHO DEFEATED VITALI KLITSCHKO?
On June 21, 2003, the world of boxing witnessed a clash between two of the sport’s finest heavyweights.
Lennox Lewis (40-2-1 at the time) defended his WBC heavyweight title against Vitali Klitschko (32-1 at the time) in a match touted as the “Battle of the Titans.”
Lewis won the fight via a technical knockout because Vitali had a nasty cut over his left eye. After just six rounds, ringside doctors determined that the injury, which required 60 stitches, was too severe to continue. Both fighters fought hard and closely in those six rounds.
When Vitali entered the ring as the underdog, the aggressor threw enough hard blows to secure the first two rounds on the judges’ scorecards.
In the third round, Lewis threw a powerful right cross that pierced Klitschko’s heart and ended his fight. After a gruelling fourth round, both competitors showed signs of exhaustion, and the bout was declared a draw after two more difficult rounds.
Klitschko had a 58-56 advantage at the end of the fight. In the aftermath of Lewis’s victory, the crowd booed and cheered Klitschko, igniting hopes for a second fight that never materialized.
WHAT IS VITALI KLITSCHKO PHD IN?
The fierce demeanor that Vitali Klitschko presented in the ring was the same he had in his academics that he attained a PhD in Sports Science.
Vitali escorted tourists around Kyiv as a teenager before he became one of the world’s most dominant heavyweight champions.
It was his first paid job at the tender age of 16. But he loved books as much as he loved boxing.
Vitali Klitschko. Photo/USA Today
In his boxing career, he earned $60 million and could have retired to a life of luxury. A strong sense of patriotism and a belief in Ukraine’s untapped greatness drove him to enter the ruthless world of Ukrainian politics.
He officially entered the fray by finishing second in the Kyiv mayor’s race in 2006.
Before the Russian invasion, Vitali would still watch the big fights, particularly the division he ruled so mercilessly.
He would be at the gym at six every morning and at work by nine.
In his opinion, Anthony Joshua, the WBA and IBF heavyweight champion from the United Kingdom is capable of becoming one of the division’s greats, but only if he faces Deontay Wilder, the WBC champion from the United States.
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