Following the announcement of his retirement, we?ve cobbled together a brief career synopsis in honour of one of the great heavyweight champions.
? Wladimir sprung to prominence when he won gold in the super-heavyweight division at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, turning professional almost immediately after.
? The Ukrainian had a record that read 24-0 before taking his first professional fight, in 1998, in his native Ukraine, it was a fight he was to lose with his opponent Ross Puritty winning.
? Wladimir won the WBO belt beating the American fighter, Chris Byrd, in 2000.
? However, the Ukrainian was beaten by South Africa?s Corrie Saunders and America?s Lamon Brewster in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
? The defeats saw Wladimir change his style, adopting a more cautious style, behind his left jab.
? As a result Wladimir went 11 years unbeaten before coming up against Tyson Fury, in November 2015, a fight which he lost on points thereby losing his WBA, IBF and WBO titles.
? In two spells as world champion, Wladimir won 25 world title fights, a record only beaten by the American legend Joe Louis.
? The legendary American trainer Emanuel Steward felt that Wladimir?s right-hand was one of the best punches in heavyweight history.
? Wladimir?s career ends with 64 wins and 5 losses.
? Even at 41-years-of-age, he showed how good a fighter he was by pushing Anthony Joshua all the way in their clash at Wembley Stadium, in April, a clash that was watched by 90,000 spectators and a fight Emanuel Steward thought ranked amongst the best in heavyweight history.
Wladimir Klitschko ? A Brief Career Synopsis
