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Boxing Craft - by johnmichael-bric

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Boxing Craft - October 2007

Vitaly Klitschko: Out of Boxing For Good

October 25th 2007 22:05

"Dr. Iron Fist" Vitaly Klitschko, older brother of current #1 heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko, looks like he will not be returning in the sport of boxing for good. He stated that he would be running for Mayor in Ukraine (ala Pacquiao). It seems that he has focused his attention on other matters. I also think that ever since he announced his return earlier this year, he has somewhat ruined the WBC Heavyweight Championship match between Oleg Maskaev and Sam Peter. Because of the "Champion Emeritus" status WBC has granted him or being the mandatory challenger when he returns from his 2 year retirement, the Peter-Maskaev fight was pushed further away at a later date even up to the point where Klitschko's camp

had offer Sam Peter a step aside money so he will be the one challenging Maskaev for the WBC belt. After months of failed negotiations, WBC eventually matched him up with Jameel McCline for his return bout and Peter was still Maskaev's challenger.

Many boxing fans were excited as is fight nears. But then injury struck again. Just as he was two weeks away from the McCline fight, he suffered another injury to his back while training. This would be the final blow in his boxing career in my opinion. He is one of the most talented and tough boxers out there but he is just prone to injuries. He suffered a dislocated shoulder during his match with Chris Byrd. Instead of continuing to finish the fight, he told the referee to stop the fight and awarded Byrd a TKO win when he was way ahead in points. Vitaly is also known for cancelling his title defense against Hasim Rahman a record of three times. He suffered injuries again and again which was just frustrating for his fans.

Vitaly would have made the Heavyweight boxing scene more exciting if he wasn't prone to

injuries. He is a 6'7" and 250 lb boxer who moves quick and hits hard. He has 34 KOs out of 35 wins and is very gifted in mobility and punching accuracy. He has dominated every fighter he faced including former WBC Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis. Lewis was admittedly not in good shape as he came in that fight weighing in at 256 lbs, the heaviest in his career. Vitaly Klitscko dominated him in the first three rounds. Lewis started to land punches more frequently during the fourth round and opened a nasty gash on Klitschko's eyebrow. Who could ever forget the powerful uppercut that Lennox Lewis nailed his Ukranian foe with. Vitaly's head snapped back violently and was visibly wobbled. The end came during the sixth round when the cut on Klitschko's eyebrow got even worse, forcing the ringside doctors to halt the bout because the gash was just getting bigger. Vitaly was winning that fight until the 5th and 6th round where he got stunned and resorted to clinching Lewis. He would have been KOd if the fight moved to the 7th round.

Lewis retired months after the fight and the WBC belt was vacated. WBC arranged a title eliminator fight between Kirk Johnson and Vitaly Klitschko. Dr. Iron Fist needed just two rounds to stop Johnson. He challenged Corrie Sanders of South Africa for the vacant WBC Belt. Vitaly had a hard time fighting Sanders because he is a power puncher with great hand speed. He was able to stun Vitaly many times during their fight but his stamina gave out, giving Klitschko an opportunity to TKO him in the 8th round. Vitaly had an easier time fighting Danny Williams because of his 7 inch height advantage. He bullied Williams around the ring until the accumulation of punches dropped him for good in the 8th round.

After the his win over Danny Williams, injuries started to plague Klitschko. His mandatory challenger was Hasim Rahman and they were supposed to fight in mid 2005. The fight was postponed sighting an injury to his back. As the rescheduled date was nearing, Vitaly again pushed the fight back because of a knee injury. The same thing happened again in the 3rd rescheduling of their match. Klitschko was forced to retire unfortunately. He would have been a force in the big man division if his bones weren't breaking often.

Now he is in retirement again after suffering an injury during training last September. With that kind of health, I think it is best to just get out of boxing and retire for good. I don't think his body will hold up well today because of his recurring injuries. Just enjoy your health, Vitaly, and best wishes to your mayoral candidacy in Ukraine.

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