On November 16, 1996 in Hamburg (Germany) Vitali and Wladimir made their
professional debut.
Vitali's opponent was American Tony Bradham. With only three seconds left until
the gong in round one, Vitali floored Bradham with a swift right-left
combination. The older Klitschko celebrated his first pro win when he put the
US boxer down for good with only 74 seconds gone in Round 2.
Wladimir hands out a first round defeat to American Fabian Meza. A strong right
put Meza down just after the minute mark, and twenty seconds after getting to
his feet he was down for good.
February 14, 1998 in Stuttgart (Germany) Wladimir carried out his first
title fight. He challenged the holder of intercontinental WBC champion Marcos
McIntyre. The fight lasted three rounds, when a powerful right knocked out
American. The title of intercontinental WBC champion Wladimir defended twice:
- May 23, 1998, Wladimir knocked out the American Cody "The Alaskan Assassin"
Koch in the fourth round.
- July 10, 1998, a fight against US boxer Najee Shaheed, who was knocked out
with 29 seconds till the end of round one.
May 2, 1998 in Luebeck (Germany) Vitali fights first time for the title.
Dick "The Raging Bull" Ryan was Vitali's opponent in the fight for the vacant
WBO intercontinental Champion title. Vitali's advantage was overwhelming.
During the fifth round, as the American was sent crashing to the canvas, Ryan's
corner threw in the towel. Vitali was declared winner by a technical knockout.
2In the summer of 1998, Vitali and Wladimir carried out their first
bouts in America, both of which were won by a knockout. American boxing fans
were already aware of Klitschkos, since Vitali won his kickboxing championship
in Las Vegas and Wladimir was the gold winner at Atlanta Olympics. October 24, 1998 in Hamburg (Germany) Vitali fought for the vacant
European Heavyweight Championship title against Mario "Super Mario" Schiesser.
The German co-challenger was sent to the canvas twice in the second round
(1'17'', 1'44'') and the referee stopped the bout declaring Vitali a winner by
technical knockout.
The title of European Heavyweight Champion Vitali defended twice:
- December 5, 1998, The Palace of Sport in Kiev was the stage for Vitali 's
first defense against Franceso Spinelli, who was completely out-classed. The
Italian challenger failed even to throw a single punch and following his knock
down the referee declared Vitali a winner by technical knockout with only 1'46"
gone in the first round.
- February 20, 1998, Vitali defended his European Heavyweight Championship for
the second time, seeing off the challenge of Frenchman Ismael Youla. Vitali
knocked the challenger out in the second round (1'16'') with a fierce
combination of exact punches.
December 5, 1998 was an uneasy day for Klitschko brothers.. In Kiev,
Ukraine, Wladimir faced the American Ross "The Boss" Puritty for the WBC
Intercontinental Championship title. In front of his home crowd for the first
time, Wladimir was eager to put on a good show and intended a speedy end to the
fight. Over the course of ten rounds younger Klitschko continuously pounded
Puritty, and by the end of the tenth Wladimir found himself on the receiving
end of some punishing blows that send him on to the canvas. Shortly inside the
eleventh round Wladimir's trainer, Fritz Zdunek, entered the ring and stopped
the fight. This was Wladimir's first defeat and Puritty was awarded the fight
by way of technical knockout.
It was also the first time younger Klitschko had been past eight rounds.
Looking back, Wladimir said, "I did a lot of promotion for the fight. I wanted
it to be perfect for my hometown audience. But I wasn't totally concentrated on
the fight. I was leading on points, but I felt dehydrated and ran out of gas. I
miscalculated the fight, and I didn't prepare mentally and physically the way I
should have. But, to be honest, it was a positive experience. I was younger,
and at that time I felt invincible. I felt I was the best and nothing could
happen to me, much like Lennox Lewis' attitude in South Africa. I can just say,
'Thank you, Ross.' I simply learned a hard lesson, and I'll make sure such a
defeat will never happen again."
June 26, 1999 in London (Great Britain) Vitali Klitschko for the first
time conquered the World Championship title of WBO facing the British World
Champion Herbie "Dancing Destroyer" Hide. Hide was sent crashing to the canvas
in the second round (0'35''), and only 52 seconds later Vitali landed a
knockout punch with a strong right into the face of the belt-holder. "We waited
three years for this fight. I prepared for him, and wanted to win like never
before in my life. I also learned many lessons from this fight. Not only did
Herbie tried to dismiss me as an unworthy opponent, he also made the mistake of
underestimating me. This has a great fight," commented Vitali.
The title of WBO World Heavyweight Champion Vitali defended twice:
- October 10, 1999, Vitali stopped American Ed "Hammer" Mahone in the third
round for the first defense of his WBO World Champion title in Oberhausen
(Germany).
- December 11, 1999, Vitali Klitschko successfully defended his WBO World
Champion title for the second time, stopping the American challenger Obed "Ben"
Sullivan after the ninth round in Hamburg (Germany). Vitali was awarded victory
on a tenth-round technical knockout decision.
September 25, 1999 in Cologne (Germany), Wladimir came face-to-face with
German favorite Axel Schulz for the vacant European Heavyweight title, which
Klitschko dominated throughout. . The fight was over when he knocked Schulz out
for the second time, 18 seconds prior to the end of the eighth round. "I knew
that Axel would end his career if he losses. He was over thirty, while I was
twenty-four with one defeat. One more loss for me would have ended my career,
and I did not want that. I prepared for this fight like never before. Schulz
lost and retired, I won and stayed." March 18, 2000 in Hamburg (Germany) Wladimir contested the vacant WBA
Intercontinental title with Paea Wolfgramm, a Tongan whom he had beaten in the
final of the 1996 Olympic Games by a 7-3 decision. Four years on and the result
was the same, with Klitschko knocking his opponent out after just 90 seconds of
the fight - the shortest bout of Wladimir's career. "Before the fight Wolfgramm
declared the gold Olympic medal belonged to him. And after beating me, he will
repaint his silver medal in gold color. But I think, he repainted it in bronze
following our second fight." April 1, 2000 in Berlin, Germany Vitali Klitschko staged his third
defense of the WBO World Champion title. Originally, the American professional
veteran Donovan "Razor" Raddock was the intended challenger. Ten days prior to
the bout, however, Donovan pulled out of the clash having reportedly being
struck down by a hepatitis infection.
A week before the bout Vitali's promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl found another
contender - the American Chris "Rapid Fire" Byrd. During the second round
Vitali felt a sudden pain in his left shoulder, which worsened in the course of
Round 3. Vitali was forced to end the fight in the 10th, having boxed with
practically one arm in the six previous rounds, because the pain in the left
shoulder-joint had become unbearable. The Kiev man was still leading at this
stage, according to the referee's notes, but the ring referee had to concede a
round ten technical knockout victory for Chris Byrd. It was the first defeat
ever for Vitali Klitschko.
"People are entitled to their opinions," stated Vitali. "They can believe me
when I say I was very hurt, or they do not have to, but I fought as hard as I
could for as long as I could. I did not want to stop. I had to. If I had
continued my shoulder could have been irreparably damaged and my career
seriously threatened. Then what do I do. Because we are boxers does not make us
super human. We suffer injuries, too. I believe after a couple more good wins
all the people will be on my side again."
A computer scan later revealed that one of the tendons had in fact been torn in
the second round, and only four days later Vitali underwent an operation which
would sideline him for eight months.
April 29, 2000 in New York City (USA) Wladimir Klitschko fought for the
second time for the WBA Intercontinental belt, up against the American, David
"The Boss" Bostice. The referee stopped the bout in the second round after
Klitschko had knocked Bostice to the floor twice in each of the opening two
rounds.
October 14, 2000 in Cologne (Germany), Wladimir Klitschko was up against
the WBO Champion, American Chris "Rapid-Fire" Byrd for a crack at his title
belt - a fight that Klitschko dominated throughout the entire 12 rounds.
By the end of the second round Wladimir had completely closed Byrd's left eye,
and the American was down on the canvas in both the ninth and eleventh rounds.
By the end of round 12, the judges unanimously agreed that Klitschko had won
the bout, returning scores of 120:106, 118:108 and 119:107 - earning Wladimir
the WBO championship title, and bringing the belt back to the Klitschko family
fold. After the fight Wladimir yelled to the crowd, "We're not soft. I'm the
world champion and I love my brother:"
The title of WBO World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir defended five times:
- March
24, 2001, in Munich (Germany) Wladimir staged his first WBO title
defense against the American Derrick "D-Train" Jefferson.
It was universally agreed throughout the boxing world that Jefferson was
Klitschko's first serious opponent, and was to provide him with a test to see
if he could live life with the sport's top-ranked fighters. 27 seconds before
the end of the first round Wladimir knocked Jefferson to the floor with a
right-hand punch to the side of the head. 90 seconds into the second round and
he was down again. After getting up once more, it took Klitschko a mere matter
of seconds before knocking Jefferson out after just 2 minutes of the second
round, and retain his crown.
- August 4, 2001 - Wladimir successfully defended his WBO heavyweight
championship crown for the second time by stopping Charles Shufford in the
sixth round of their title fight in Las Vegas, a bout that marked Wladimir's
championship debut in the United States.
Shufford started the fight very cautiously, and his nerves encouraging
Klitschko to come forward, giving Wladimir an immediate advantage. In round 6
Wladimir brought up a powerful left hook that sent Shufford through the ropes
and crashing out of the ring. He got to his feet on the count of nine and
referee Kenny Bayless brought the fight to an end (2'55").
- March 16, 2002 Klitschko successfully defended his WBO heavyweight
title for the third time. In front of a sell-out crowd in the Schleyer Halle in
Stuttgart (Germany), the Ukrainian kept his belt in style, knocking Frans Botha
out after 00:48 in Round 8. Referee Genaro Rodriguez stopped the fight, and the
timely TKO decision saved the South African from even more punishment in the
fourth title bout of his career. Afterwards, Wladimir said, "It was a tough
fight for me because I was coming back from a shoulder injury. Against Botha, I
just had in mind how Lewis and Tyson did against him. My last fight was quite
some time ago. But the only thing that counts is the result. I want to stay as
active as possible."
- June 29, 2002 Dr. Wladimir Klitschko, in his fourth successful WBO
title defense, launched his career in the United States with a commanding TKO
victory in Round 6 over veteran Ray Mercer in the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic
City NJ. This was "Boxing after Dark", and the lights certainly went out for
41-year-old Mercer, floored for only the second time and knocked out for the
first time in his 13-year professional career. After the fight, Wladimir said,
" I showed I have heart, which people have questioned. I am a fighter. I wanted
to show how good I am, and proved that I am ready for big fights."
- December 7, 2002 Wladimir Klitschko retained his WBO heavyweight world
title with a 10th round technical knockout against American Jameel McCline at
the Mandalay Bay Hotel of Las Vegas. In his first major test against a highly
ranked heavyweight in the United States, Klitschko showed he is among the
heavyweight elite. Wladimir led on the scorecards the whole time, only losing
second round, when all three judges scored in McCline's favor. Wladimir knocked
him down in the ninth round, but Jameel was able to get up and was saved by the
bell, ending the round. In between rounds, McCline's team decided to stop the
fight.
January 27, 2001 Vitali took the ring in Munich (Germany) to
co-challenge with American Orlin "Night Train" Norris for the WBA
intercontinental Champion title - which had previously belonged to Klitschko's
younger brother Wladimir. The fight lasted a mere 111 seconds. After just 39
seconds Norris hit the canvas for the first time, suffered the same fate 18
seconds after the re-start and wisely decided to call it a day.
The following fights, in which Vitali defended the WBA intercontinental
champion title, were quite interesting and intriguing:
- December 8, 2001 in front of 12,500 spectators in Oberhausen, Germany,
Vitali Klitschko celebrated a successful comeback with a technical knockout
victory over Ross Puritty, the man who beat his brother Wladimir three years
earlier in Kiev. Like his brother three years ago Vitali gave the American a
one-sided beating for most of the fight. In round 11 Klitschko opened a deep
bleeding cut over the right eye of an already heavily battered Puritty and
referee John Coyle finally stepped in at 1:16 to stop the lopsided duel. After
the fight Vitali said, "I completely support referee's decision, since health
is very important for athletes. Wladimir paid my duty, by beating Chris Byrd.
Now I have repaid him, by beating Ross Purity!"
- February 8, 2002 in the VW Arena in Brunswick (Germany), Vitali
Klitschko defended his WBA International title against Vaughn Bean. It was a
commanding performance by the 30-year-old Ukrainian, and the 11th Round TKO was
the first stoppage ever for Bean in his 45-fight ledger.
- November 23, 2002 in Dortmund (Germany), Vitali Klitschko defended his
WBA International title against Larry Donald. This fight was very important for
Vitali. First of all, Vitali was coming back from an injury and had to take it
easy on his left hand and his back. Second, Vitali had put on a dominating
performance so that he could challenge Lennox Lewis. And lastly, just before
the fight, Vitali found out that his wife gave birth. All this pressure and
stress was clearly visible as older Klitschko boxed extremely cautiously in the
early rounds. Then in the tenth round, Vitali knocked down Larry. The fight
continued until the referee stopped it following the third knockdown of Donald.
This was the first stoppage ever for Donald in his 44-fight career. At the
press conference Vitali said, "Larry Donald was a very difficult and
inconvenient fighter. He did everything to win. But so did I." March 8, 2003 was the day that Wladimir defended his WBO championship
title for the sixth time. Klitschko lost his title by way of TKO. Corrie
Sanders, his opponent from South Africa, had already knocked him down four
times, before referee Genaro Rodriguez finally stopped the fight after 27
seconds in round two. He countered Wladimir's attacks very well, scoring
devastating blows. In a statement shortly after the fight, Wladimir thanked the
visitors for their coming and said that he understood that many were not
pleased with what they had seen. He announced: "That's sports. I'll be back,
and I'll be pointing the way." And doctor was back in full strength. On August
evening (08/30/03), he beat Fabio Moli in the sold out Olympic Hall by way of
knock out in the first round. June 21, 2003 Dr. Vitali Klitschko lost the WBC championship bout
against the British titleholder Lennox Lewis in the Staples Center of Los
Angeles by way of TKO after six rounds. It was a big disappointment to Vitali
Klitschko. Leading on points after six rounds, referee Dr. Lou Moret stopped
the fight during the break between rounds six and seven on advice of the
doctor. In the third round, Vitali had suffered a deep cut above the left eye.
Whether this was due to a head butt by Lewis or a punch was not immediately
clear. After a rather hectic start, a tremendously intense bout developed. Both
fighters seemed to have lost their tactics and tried hard for the decisive
knockout punch. And it was Vitali, who dominated the match. Vitali was ahead by
58:56 on all scorecards. "No, No, No" - that was Vitali's immediate reaction
after the fight was stopped. "I controlled the match, I was irritated and
shocked. I really did not know why the referee was stopping the fight. The
injury wasn't grave, at all. I could see everything," said Vitali. Thus to this
day we wouldn't know the real winner of Lewis- Klitschko, since Lennox retired
it's unlikely that there will be a rematch.
March
24, 2001, in Munich (Germany) Wladimir staged his first WBO title
defense against the American Derrick "D-Train" Jefferson.
It was universally agreed throughout the boxing world that Jefferson was
Klitschko's first serious opponent, and was to provide him with a test to see
if he could live life with the sport's top-ranked fighters. 27 seconds before
the end of the first round Wladimir knocked Jefferson to the floor with a
right-hand punch to the side of the head. 90 seconds into the second round and
he was down again. After getting up once more, it took Klitschko a mere matter
of seconds before knocking Jefferson out after just 2 minutes of the second
round, and retain his crown.