BoxRec

The question of "Will he or won't he?" make a comeback is hanging in the air as every once in a while the former champion releases videos of him back in the gym. But we must treat him as being retired to properly review his career in full.

Klitschko has has several "rebirths" during his career, from Super Heavyweight Gold medalist to his first reign as the WBO champion--- back when that belt did not carry as much weight as it does today. From losing that distinction to becoming the IBF champion. From that point on to being one of the most dominate champions regardless of weight class--- until his loss to Tyson Fury in 2015, and subsequent loss to Anthony Joshua in 2016.

That's three distinct segments of his career. Each has to be reviewed, evaluated, and discussed in full. Klitschko is not a popular man amongst the armchair critics here at BoxRec, but this will be about as "in depth" as it'll ever get on the forum.

Prior to the Professional Ring

134 wins & 6 losses, 65 wins by knockout... Quite the impressive record, especially when you factor in the Klitschko family came from absolute poverty.



Klitschko won the '96 gold medal by beating the 300 pound Paea Wolfgramm (7-3) and these two men would later meet in the pros.

The First Segment, Prospect






November 16, 1996
Pro Debut, 4 rounds, 1st round kayo
-Fabian Meza (4-1-1) was easily dispatched of by the significantly larger Klitschko. Meza & Klitschko both weighed in at 220 pounds. It must be noted that Meza would also fight Lamon Brewster, whom Klitschko would face years down the road.

Immediately there was buzz surrounding Wladimir Klitschko upon his pro debut. The 6'6" 220 pound Ukrainian impressed at the Olympics, and the American press (half jokingly) compared his looks and style to the fictional Ivan Drago of the Rocky franchise.



2nd fight, 4 rounds, 2nd round kayo
Exum Speight, 8-30-2, was simply no match for the power and the pedigree of Klitschko. Speight, from Ashtabula Ohio, had previously faced John Ruiz & Chris Byrd & Shannon Briggs.



3rd fight, 4 rounds, 1st round kayo
Bill Corrigan, 10-12-1, was yet another blowout mismatch for Klitschko. He had been cannon fodder for Hipp, Botha, Seldon & Weaver.



4th fight, 8 rounds, 3rd round kayo
Troy Weida, 6-1-1, was 6'3" and game but simply not in the class as Klitschko. Wlad's promoters were importing American journeymen very early on as three of his first four were Americans. One could argue this is because American heavyweights at the time were safer for a developing prospect than fellow Europeans.



5th fight, 6 rounds, WDQ6
The 11-6 Carlos Monroe was the first true big man Klitschko fought standing 6'6" and weighing 255 pounds. It's the first time Klitschko looked remotely vulnerable. Monroe prior to this had only been stopped once & that was by Wayne Llewellyn. Klitschko would rematch Monroe fifteen fights later.



6th fight, 6 rounds, 2nd round kayo
Mark Young, 15-33-1, a safer fight from the disappointing showing against Monroe. Young, previously, had fought virtually every big name in the division including Mike Tyson when he was 14-0 back in 1985. Clearly a journeyman with wear and tear by this point.



7th fight, 8 rounds, 1st round kayo
Mark Wills, 14-17-1, another safe fight to resolidify the klitschko brand as being "very for real". Wills had went the distance with Ray Mercer & Jeremy Williams.



8th fight, 8 rounds, 2nd round kayo
Paul Ashley, 4-2-1, yet another willing victim of the Klitschko machine. Not much to be said here other than the fact Klitschko is hyperactive, having fought 4 times in 1997 prior to this and would fight 8 more times to close out the year.



9th fight, 8 rounds, 1st round kayo
Salvador Maciel, 21-11-0, again just another easy victory. It makes one wonder (in retrospect) would Klitschko have done his career differently because other champions by this time already achieved (at least) regional or national titles.



10th fight, 8 rounds, 3rd round kayo
Gilberto Williamson, 4-2-3, had alot of heart. I'll give him that. But these picks by the Klitschko camp are rather embarrassing in review.



11th fight, 6 rounds, WDQ4
Biko Botowamungo (that's a tongue twister!) gave klitschko a bit of a fight despite his 9-5-1 record. Klitschko unusually "dirty" with hits behind the head.



12th fight, 8 rounds, 3rd round kayo
James Pritchard, 30-16-2. One has to wonder, somewhat, if the string of journeymen is for confidence boosting purposes or if team Klitschko was aware of certain flaws we the public were unaware of at the time.



13th fight, 8 rounds, 2nd round kayo
Marcos Gonzales, 18-11-1, simply too short and too limited. A brave guy. I am starting to get pissed at how unfair these match up's have been.



14th fight, 8 rounds, 2nd round kayo
IT'S ABOUT TIME!!! Jerry "Wimpy" Halstead at least at one point was a top 10 contender (in the early 90s). I interviewed Wimpy and asked about this fight & he said it was on short notice (I'm not surprised) but he said he felt (right then and there) Klitschko was certain to be a world champion. Quite the praise from a man who fought Mercer, Morrison, Douglas, etc. This was Jerry's last match.

(Can't find the film)

15th fight, 8 rounds, 3rd round kayo
FFS!!! I don't understand the logic in going from a guy like Halstead to a guy like Ladislav Husarik (4-13-1). The moment you finally say, "Klitschko is the truth!", he takes a hundred steps back.



16th fight, 8 rounds, 1st round kayo
15-1 Derrick Lampkins was at least a big step up in class from the majority of the opponents klitschko fought. Klitschko very aggressive in the fight. Fans oftentimes forget the "first incarnation" of Wladimir was pretty ruthless. This was for the WBC Intercontinental title.

We had Wladimir Klitschko's amateur fights in chronological order(in the Olympics anyway) in an earlier thread.
(Also anyone interested we had chronological youtube links listing of Vitali Klitschko's fights
(including some Kick-Boxing and amateur bouts in an earlier thread)

Caractacus wrote: ↑16 Nov 2018, 18:50 We had WlAdimir Klitschko's amateur fights in c hronological order(in the Olympics anyway) in an earlier thread.

Can you link that thread here, if you please? That way we have a full comprehensive thread.

17th fight, 8 rounds, WUD8
Now, I'm a fan of Everett Bigfoot Martin but I don't understand why you go from an international title match against another prospect to working with a journeyman whose seen better days who is 5'11" and started out at 175 pounds. Regardless Martin demonstrates he is still tough as nails even though he's not really in the fight at any time.



18th fight, 12 rounds, 4th round kayo
Cody Koch, 25-1 & 241 pounds, is a title defense of the WBC International belt. Koch's only loss was to Ed Mahone... No comment, lol... it appears that minor champion or not Klitschko is facing soft touches. This may explain his shortcomings later on down the road. Koch is also the first southpaw Klitschko ever faces & Wladimir does get caught with the left more than he'd like.



19th fight, 12 rounds, 1st round kayo
Najee Shaheed, 16-0-1, weighs 235 pounds to Klitschko's 231. Nothing here to really discuss further, except it's more of the same from team Klitschko facing limited opponents. One almost is reminded of the path Primo Carnera took to the title when reviewing these contests.



20th fight, 10 rounds, 6th round kayo
The rematch with Carlos Monroe! As noted prior, it took fifteen fights before these two would meet again. It was also Klitschko's first fight in North America on ESPN.



21st fight, 10 rounds, 2nd round kayo
Steve Pannell, 33-4, will go down in the record books as the first man to ever drop Klitschko. Sure the '96 Gold Medalist won in the end, but it was something of an early telltale sign of things to come. Maybe the young prospect was over confident, etc but regardless it was an eye opener that the Ukrainian giant could be hurt, could be out fought, and wasn't the indestructible colossus he was promoted as being. Pannell took the fight on five days notice.



22nd fight, 10 rounds, 3rd round kayo
Eli Dixon up until this point was the heaviest man Klitschko fought at nearly 257 pounds. Dixon's record was 21-4-1. A step up from Pannell, however, three of his four losses were by knockout at the time so it's understandable why he was chosen as an opponent.



23rd fight, 8 rounds, 1st round kayo
Donnell Wingfield, 29-9-1, had previously been knocked out in one round by Brian Nielsen, so once again no surprise as to the out come. Klitschko was already pencilled in to face Ross Purrity as it was announced several times during the fight, with commentators speculating whether Klitschko would stop "Ironhead". Oh how wrong they would be.




24th fight, 12 rounds, LKO11
Klitschko's first loss. Purrity was seen as a stepping stone for Wladimir. Prior to the Klitschko fight Purrity lost decisions to Chris Byrd, Larry Donald, and Corrie Sanders--- all of those fights, including the Klitschko fight, happened within a year and a month. Klitschko was winning the contest rather easily, throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Purrity but couldn't knock him out. This rookie mistake against one of the sports toughest competitors of all-time, cost the Ukrainian everything as he started to tire fast in round ten, getting dropped twice. In round eleven, his corner jumped into the ring after Purrity tee'd off on Wladimir early in the round.

25th fight, 8 rounds, 1st round kayo
Zoran Vujicic, 14-0, was one of the lighter men Klitschko ever faced at 213 pounds. Looking to make a statement following the loss to Ross Purrity, team Klitschko had Wladimir fight seven times in 1999 as if to imply that the loss was a freak occurrence that would never happen again. This year was strictly damage control and nothing more.



26th fight, 8 rounds, 8th round kayo
Just to prove Klitschko was "better than ever" he fought Everett Bigfoot Martin once again. This time klitschko was more ruthless and joined the likes of Lamon Brewster, Ed Mahone, Riddick Bowe, Bonecrusher Smith, and Francesco Damiani to stop Martin in his "prime years".



27th fight, 10 rounds, 1st round kayo
Tony LaRosa, 31-15, never stood a chance. For me personally, if I were team Klitschko I'd of emphasized the importance of building up stamina and going a few rounds rather than trying to blow everyone away off the bat. You can't learn and grow if you are just being the incredible hulk in there.



28th fight, 12 rounds, 4th round kayo
Joseph Chingangu, 18-4, was game and willing but was simply incapable of doing anything with Klitschko. Wladimir regains the vacant WBC International belt he lost to Ross Purrity. All is well in the world again--- or so they want you to believe.



29th fight, 12 rounds, 8th round kayo
Axel Schulz was still a big name in Europe in 1999. Just four years prior he was robbed of the lineal title against George Foreman. He also lost highly controversial decisions to Frans Botha ('95 IBF title) and Michael Moorer ('96 IBF title). Schulz was on a five fight winning streak. This was a major step up for Klitschko and perceived as far and away more dangerous than what he was prepared for. Klitschko not only won and silenced the critics still knocking him for the Purrity loss, but dominated every round. Wladimir picks up the EBU and WBA Intercontinental titles. Schulz I must add was 219 pounds to Klitschko's 238.



30th fight, 10 rounds, 2nd round kayo
Phil Jackson, 42-8, once upon a time was a world title challenger to Lennox Lewis ('94) and had seen some better days. Coming off back to back losses to Fres Oquendo and Monte Barrett, he was most likely perceived as an easy victory for Klitschko going into the contest, especially when you consider he was kayoed by Brian Nielsen back in '96 and by Jeremy Williams in '97. Still it was good PR for Klitschko as the new face of heavyweight boxing.



31st fight, 12 rounds, 2nd round kayo
Lajos Eros, 21-8-1, was a mandatory for the EBU and WBA Intercontinental titles. Klitschko by this time was clearly the best heavyweight in Europe and world's apart from that grouping. This would be his last fight against such competition.



32nd fight, 12 rounds, 1st round kayo
In what was perceived as his most impressive win to date Klitschko easily defeated his old rival Paea Wolfgramm from the '96 Olympics. The Tongan was 18-1 as a professional and a staggering 287 pounds. He himself had a similar setback to Klitschko's when he lost a close decision to journeyman Marion Wilson. For the vacant WBC International title.

33rd fight, 12 rounds, 2nd round kayo
David Bostice no match for Klitschko in Madison Square Garden.



34th fight, 10 rounds, 7th round kayo
Monte Barrett, who was rated amongst the top ten contenders in the world, loses to Klitschko in the London Arena. Champion Lennox Lewis looking on.



35th fight, 12 rounds, WUD12
Chris Byrd pissed off the wrong family member, as Wladimir Klitschko picks up where older brother Vitali left off. The elder sibling lost to Byrd, and this was revenge. Vitali avenged his little brother by stopping Ross Purrity after he had defeated Wladimir. The diminutive Byrd was beaten around like a rag doll the entire time. Klitschko picks up the WBO Heavyweight Championship of the World--- a title his brother Vitali had until losing to Byrd.



36th fight, 12 rounds, 2nd round kayo
Derrick Jefferson, didn't stand a chance and Klitschko-Mania was riding high around the world. So much so that Hollywood came calling and he co-starred alongside Lennox Lewis in a fictional fight scene in Ocean's Eleven. It was "art imitating life" as many saw him as the guy to beat Lewis for real.



37th fight, 12 rounds, 6th round kayo
Charles Shufford was no George Foreman despite him playing the icon in the film 'Ali' as Klitschko ran right through him. He was never the same after facing Wladimir.



38th fight, 12 rounds, 8th round kayo
Frans Botha was game and willing but he was outgunned from the start. By this time the public were considering these victories as mere formalities and that Lewis soon waited.



39th fight, 12 rounds, 6th round kayo
Ray Mercer for the first time in his career got stopped. Sure he was passed his best, but so was Botha. This was two ex champions back to back and klitschko made it look easy.



40th fight, 12 rounds, 10th round kayo
Jameel McCline, a giant in his own right, seemed terribly gun shy against Klitschko which made for a boring fight until the stoppage. McCline was yet another top ten contender and Klitschko was now the mandatory for Lennox Lewis. Everyone was certain that the Ukrainian would become the heavyweight champion of the world. There seems to be a pattern here. Do you see where this is heading?

41st fight, 12 rounds, LKO2
Corrie Sanders was considered more a full-time golfer and part-time boxer at this stage of his career. It was just supposed to be a "stay busy" fight and nothing more. Klitschko had already secured his shot at Lennox Lewis. This was just a mere formality, another kayo to be added to Klitschko's highlight reel. But it was a gigantic mistake. Sanders at 6'4" and 230 pounds was a heavy handed, hard headed, deceptively quick southpaw who at one point was headed for a shot at Michael Moorer back in 1995. Klitschko, over confident & not expecting a fight, got floored repeatedly in the first and second round until finally the referee had seen enough. RING magazine and KO magazine wrote articles comparing the Klitschko defeat to the likes of Duane Bobick losing to Ken Norton, and included him in lists of the greatest flawed "white hopes" and "hype trains" in boxing history. Lennox Lewis, who had just defeated Mike Tyson, had hoped to fight Klitschko and then rematch Tyson before retiring but now those plans were gone.



42nd fight, 12 rounds, 1st round kayo
Fabio Edouardo Moli, 29-2, did not help ANYONE remotely forget the Sanders loss and the WBA Intercontinental title attached to this bout was seen as meaningless.



43rd fight, 12 rounds, 4th round kayo
Danell Nicholson, 42-4, was also seen as nothing more than a setup attempt to rebuild Klitschko's image and wavering confidence--- it did little to restore the faith of the sporting public.



44th fight, 12 rounds, LKO5
AND YET ANOTHER SETBACK FOR KLITSCHKO!!! The WBO title he once held, now vacated, was ripped out from Klitschko's hands by 29-2 Lamon Brewster who became a star in his own right. Brewster would follow up this knockout victory with a 1st round kayo of Andrew Golota. Klitschko is being begged by the press to retire and forget about boxing.



45th fight, 10 rounds, TD5
Things went from bad to worse in Klitschko's next outing as an accidental headbutt called an end to the action against fringe contender DaVaryl Williamson. Sure Klitschko won on the scorecards but was a highly dissatisfying way to win.



46th fight, 10 rounds, 4th round kayo
Eliseo Castillo was relatively unknown to much of the mainstream boxing fans but he was a much needed win for Klitschko. Unfortunately for Wladimir it was perceived as a mismatch and didn't make anyone forget the Sanders loss. By this time the elder Klitschko had already fought Lennox Lewis and won over the public's admiration in a highly competitive contest and had avenged his little brother by beating Sanders to be recognized as "the man" upon Lewis's retirement. Wladimir on the other hand was written off as the inferior Klitschko who had no chin.



47th fight, 12 rounds, WUD12
Samuel Peter was considered "way too much" for Klitschko. Most saw this fight as being the one that would put the nail in the coffin for Wladimir's career. Peter was 24-0 (21) and everyone was scared shitless of the Nigerian Nightmare who many said was on Earnie Shavers level of punching power. Klitschko, valiantly and surprisingly, rose off the canvas three times to WIN a unaminous decision and capture the NABF & NABO titles, as well as securing the #1 contender spot for the WBO and IBF titles. It was certainly the comeback of the year for many people as well as the heavyweight fight of the year (2005).

Peter fight was quite impressive. Wlad was still establishing his new fighting approach with Manny Steward, so he wasn't full loaded yet. Anyway he got his dividends with it. Peter was outboxed and those knockdowns by him seemed as only real success in the fight. Wlad showed guts there. The most impressive thing was, how the guy, who had been considered as a glassjaw, was standing up and continuing to score points.

48th fight, 12 rounds, 7th round kayo
Chris Byrd made more sense financially as well as tactically than WBA champion John Ruiz. The history was already there, and he already defeated Byrd. Ruiz was tied to Don King and was less popular than Byrd, therefore considered poisonous to engage with. Klitschko easily won the rematch by brutal knockout because Byrd made a "suicide move" by trying to fight in close despite his lack of punching power. With the win the Klitschko's became the first brothers to simultaneously hold heavyweight titles, therefore holding a monopoly on the division. Vitali, unfortunately, would retire not long after this due to back issues leaving the WBC & WBO titles vacant.



49th fight, 12 rounds, 7th round kayo
Undefeated American heavyweight Calvin Brock was Klitschko's first successful defense. His best win was a kayo of Jameel McCline.



50th fight, 12 rounds, 2nd round kayo
American Ray Austin was similar in size to klitschko, but simply had nothing else. Was an easy victory for Wladimir in MSG.



51st fight, 12 rounds, 5th round kayo
There was much rumbling that Klitschko couldn't really call himself the champion unless he avenged his loss to Brewster. Klitschko did just that. Unfortunately that win has been tainted with the passage of time as the knowledge that Brewster fought with a detached retina came to light years later.




52nd fight, 12 rounds, WUD12
"There can only be one!", and Klitschko picks up the WBO title from Sultan Ibragimov in a slow paced chess match in MSG. Not really a good fight, but hey, even Mike Tyson fought some snoozers.



53rd fight, 12 rounds, 7th round kayo
Hasim Rahman the former undisputed champion was supposed to fight Vitali Klitschko back when Wladimir knocked out Byrd--- but at this point was perceived as "passed it". Regardless, Klitschko was establishing himself as the dominate face of the division by defeating the ex-champion.



54th fight, 12 rounds, 9th round kayo
Chagaev the WBA champion was thought to be the man with the best chance to beat Klitschko as his swarming style had defeated Ruiz and Valuev. But he was never in the fight. Because of insane political reasons the WBA title was not on the line, but the RING belt and Lineal title was. Now, Klitschko was rightfully the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

This segment demonstrates Wlad's best. He has finally reached his prime conditions, not just physically, but also in terms of the ring intelligence. He established his style, became a polished boxer, who was rationally breaking the guys down. Byrd fight #2 was a big beatdown, Chagaev was totally outclassed.

HomicideHenry wrote: ↑16 Nov 2018, 18:45 134 wins & 6 losses, 65 wins by knockout... Quite the impressive record, especially when you factor in the Klitschko family came from absolute poverty.

Their father was USSR general. This is nowhere close to "absolute poverty".

55th fight, 12 rounds, 12th round kayo
American Eddie Chambers was thought to be too small for Klitschko but went into the 12th round in a pretty competitive fast paced fight.



56th fight, 12 rounds, 10th round kayo
The rematch with Samuel Peter was considered an "open and shut" case for Klitschko, as this contest was all Wladimir. Quite the jump in improvement from their first contest.




57th fight, 12 rounds, WUD12
What was billed as something likened to a grudge match to the death--- it didn't quite live up to expectations. It was a fast faced, tension filled contest but for both of these men claiming they'd all but kill each other it was disappointing. Rewatching it all these years later it's more fun than I remember. Haye the former Cruiserweight champion had won the WBA title over Nicolai Valuev, and from day one terrorized the Klitschko brothers night and day. It was exciting for the heavyweight division at the time because Wladimir was winning so easily it started getting boring.




58th fight, 12 rounds, 4th round kayo
In what can only be called an easy victory for Klitschko, I think in retrospect this was a "statement" by klitschko that nobody 200 pounds belongs in the heavyweight division. People forget at the time there was several small men jumping into the division at the time: Adamek, Tarver, etc.



59th fight, 12 rounds, 6th round kayo
The rematch with Thompson only demonstrated further just how much Klitschko improved since their first contest. Thompson would be written off as an "old man" which was a mistake, as he'd later on win back to back upsets over 6'8" David Price who some thought could give Klitschko a run for his money.




60th fight, 12 rounds, WUD12
Wach was Klitschko's tallest opponent up until this point and tough, but was rather limited. Wach was a 33-1 underdog in the fight.



61st fight, 12 rounds, 6th round kayo
Pianeta, 6'5", another big man but was simply not on a world-class level. He was a good European heavyweight but that's it. Game and willing, but, he had no real reason to be there.



62nd fight, 12 rounds, WUD12
This is arguably Klitschko's absolute best showing in his career. Povetkin was not only undefeated but he was also a gold medalist with many knockouts over truly legitimate opponents. Povetkin was out-classed and out-gunned. It was man against boy.



63rd fight, 12 rounds, 5th round kayo
Alex Leapai was a tough man and a very colorful character, but, he was getting the snot knocked out of him by Klitschko's jabs and thunderous right hands.




64th fight, 12 rounds, 5th round kayo
Most people thought if anyone could possibly beat Klitschko it ought to have been Pulev--- 6'5" and undefeated. For whatever reason, though, Pulev changed his fighting style and ended up knocked unconscious. Certainly one of Klitschko's top five wins.



65th fight, 12 rounds, WUD12
In what was a very long, boring contest some wondered if Klitschko was getting old. But most thought Jennings, combined with Klitschko's oftentimes cautious style, just made for a snooze fest. The Pulev fight was only 5 months before, so age hardly played a part.

66th fight, 12 rounds, LUD12
The thought on Klitschko for years was that IF he fought someone just as big (or bigger) who was a fast mover, the Klitschko code could be cracked. In a way, men like Haye & Chambers & Thompson & Ibragimov proved that speed & high ring IQ was someone's best shot. Tyson Fury, 6'9" & 247, had those attributes and Klitschko found himself incapable of doing anything. Fury's gift of gab & pre-fight (and mid-fight) mind games also played a hand. For the first time in Klitschko's life he was out-boxed & out-thought. Naysayers argued Klitschko was just old, but clearly Klitschko was just befuddled by a problem he never seen before.



67th fight, 12 rounds, LKO11
After failing to get a rematch with Tyson Fury, Klitschko fought the reigning IBF champion Anthony Joshua and nearly regained the title. It was the "Fight of the Year" for many people. Klitschko, upset at what he perceived as an early stoppage, was more popular than ever and fans demanded a return match. But, out of the blue Wladimir Klitschko retired saying he supported Anthony Joshua as champion. Klitschko retired with a record of 64-5 (53).

And I feel embarrassed because it seems I have missed two matches in this review. I don't know where I got mixed up.