Vitali Klitschko

Vitali Klitschko
Vitali Klitschko.jpg
Statistics
Real name Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Klychko
Nickname(s) Dr. Ironfist
Rated at Heavyweight
Height 6 ft 7½ in (2.02 m)
Reach 80 in (203 cm)
Nationality  Ukraine
Birth date 19 July 1971 (1971-07-19) (age 39)
Birth place Belovodsk, Kirghiz SSR
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 42
Wins 40
Wins by KO 38
Losses 2
Draws 0
No contests 0
Medal record
Competitor for  Ukraine
Men’s Boxing
World Amateur Championships
Silver 1995 Berlin Super heavyweight

Vitali Klitschko (Ukrainian: Віта́лій Володи́мирович Кличко́, Vitaliy Klychko, [ʋiˈtɑlij klɪtʃˈkɔ]; English: /vɨˈtæli ˈklɪtʃkoʊ/; born 19 July 1971 in Belovodsk, Kirghiz SSR, Soviet Union (now Kyrgyzstan)) is a Ukrainian professional heavyweight boxer and the current WBC world heavyweight champion. He has the highest knockout percentage (95%) of any heavyweight boxing champion in overall fights. He also holds the distinction of being a three time world heavyweight champion, having previously held the WBO and WBC titles, and has never been knocked out or knocked down in any professional boxing bout.

His younger brother, Wladimir Klitschko, is the current IBF, WBO, IBO and Ring Magazine world heavyweight champion. Vitali is the first professional boxing world champion to hold a Ph.D. (in sports science).

Vitali Klitschko has recently announced that he intends to retire from professional heavyweight boxing at the end of 2010. As a result of his success he has been awarded Germany's highest award Federal Cross of Merit.[1]

Contents

Kickboxing

Originally Klitschko was a kickboxer, with a record of 34-1 with 22 knockouts. In November, 1993, he took part in the world amateur championship of WAKO, held at Atlantic City, New Jersey. He got defeated by KO from Pele Reid with the back-spin-kick at the final match of the 89 kg class. However, as a professional kickboxer, Klitschko won the super heavyweight championship at the first World Military Games in Italy in 1995. In that same year, he won the silver medal at the 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Berlin Germany, where he was defeated by Russia's Alexei Lezin in the final. His amateur record was 195-15 with 80 knockouts.

Boxing career

WBO title

Klitschko began his professional boxing career in 1996, winning his first twenty-four fights by either early knockout or technical knockout (TKO). He and Wladimir signed with the German athlete-promotion company Universum. With both brothers holding Ph.D.s and being multilingual, their refined and articulate personalities made for mainstream marketability when they moved to Germany and Universum. In time, they became national celebrities in their adopted home country. In his 25th pro fight, on 26 June 1999, Klitschko won the WBO heavyweight title from Herbie Hide of the United Kingdom by a 2nd round knockout.

He successfully defended the title twice before a April 1, 2000 match against American Chris Byrd. Complaining of shoulder pain, Vitali and his corner threw in the towel after the ninth round despite carrying a lead on all three judges' scorecards (89-82, and 88-83 twice). Klitschko, who was later diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff, received much criticism for quitting the fight.

Klitschko vs. Lennox Lewis

Klitschko rebounded from his loss to Byrd by reeling off five victories in a row, earning himself a shot at WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis on June 21, 2003 in Los Angeles, California. Klitschko, a 4-1 underdog, dominated the early going and stunned Lewis in the second round with two hard rights.[2] In the third, Lewis landed a big right hand of his own that opened a deep cut above Klitschko's left eye.[2] Klitschko was able to rally and Lewis, who had weighed in at his career heaviest for the fight, was breathing heavily after a few rounds. Both men traded big shots and in the sixth Lewis got through with two tremendous uppercuts. Before the seventh round, the ringside doctor inspected the wound and deemed it severe enough to threaten eye damage if struck again, stopping the fight despite Klitschko's pleas to continue. Klitschko was ahead on all three scorecards 58-56 (4 rounds to 2) at the time of the stoppage, but because the wound was a result of punches from Lewis and not a headbutt, Lewis won by technical knockout.[2] Lewis was booed when he was announced the winner.[2] Klitschko, despite the loss, gained international respect for fighting so well against the heavyweight champion for 6 rounds. Negotiations for a December 6 rematch began.[3] For years after this fight, Klitschko would still occasionally call out Lewis, despite the fact that Lewis has been retired since early 2004, for a rematch.[4]

WBC Heavyweight Champion

Around this time, the Klitschko brothers moved from Hamburg, Germany to Los Angeles, California.

In January 2004, they notified Universum that they would not re-sign when their contracts expired in April. Universum sued the brothers, arguing that their recent injuries had triggered a clause binding them beyond April. The suit was ultimately resolved in favour of the Klitschkos in November 2009.[5]

Klitschko earned an 8th-round TKO victory over South African Corrie Sanders on 24 April 2004, to capture the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship which had been vacated by Lewis. Sanders had knocked out (2nd Round TKO) younger brother Wladimir on 8 March 2003. This fight was also for The Ring Magazine belt. Klitschko was rocked early by Sanders, but by using movement and strong punching he broke down Sanders and forced the referee to stop the bout.

Vitali Klitschko's first WBC title defense was against British boxer Danny Williams. Williams had become suddenly marketable from a KO over an ageing Mike Tyson in round 4. Klitschko scored a technical knockout against Williams in 8 rounds on 11 December 2004, while wearing an orange cloth to show support for the Ukrainian presidential opposition movement. Klitschko knocked Williams down in the 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 8th rounds before the fight was stopped. Immediately afterward, Klitschko dedicated his victory to democracy in his native Ukraine, and also to the Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, whom he supported in the 26 December 2004, election revote.[6]

On 9 November 2005, Vitali Klitschko announced his retirement from professional boxing and vacated his title. He cited regrets about his suddenly-mounting injuries, a desire to leave the sport while still on top, and political aspirations in his home country of Ukraine.[7] Following his retirement, the WBC conferred "champion emeritus" status on Klitschko, and assured him he would become the mandatory challenger if and when he decided to return.[8]

In the German Bild-Zeitung, he announced on 24 January 2007 his comeback and requested to fight again.[9] But because of a number of health problems, Klitschko backed out from a number of bouts scheduled for him.

Comeback from injury

On 3 August 2008, the WBC awarded Klitschko a chance to regain his WBC Heavyweight title. After Vitali's retirement his younger brother had established dominance in the division winning two of the four world titles available. The reigning WBC champion was Samuel Peter (who had lost a decision to Wladimir in 2005) At the time there was interest in a potential Peter vs Wladimir unification match. Instead Vitali took advantage of his champion emeritus status and secured a title challenge against Peter. The fight was arranged on 11 October 2008 at o2 world Berlin. It would be one of the most anticipated heavyweight fights in the past few years. Both men had a rightful claim to being the champion and the stakes for the future of the heavyweight division were high. Despite some questioning Vitali's decision to return after four years, he managed to regain his title in dominating fashion. Klitschko had Peter intimidated from the first round and stunned him with accurate hard punches. Klitschko kept the hard punching Nigerian off with an effective left jab and took control in the centre of the ring. Over eight rounds Klitschko completely dismantled and outfought the younger champion. After the eighth round Peter slumped on his stool shook his head and asked that the bout be stopped. With this victory, Klitschko became one of the few men to ever hold a version of the world heavyweight championship three times. WBO (1999–2000), WBC (2004–2005) WBC (2008–Present), joining Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and Michael Moorer.

In 2009, Klitschko successfully defended his WBC Heavyweight title three times. On 21 March Klitschko defeated Juan Carlos Gomez by TKO in the ninth round. Gomez tried to use his movement to thwart Vitali but seemed unable to cope with the power and physical strength of his opponent. The referee stopped the fight in the ninth round as Gomez appeared unable to withstand any more punishment.On 26 September, Klitschko earned a one sided TKO victory over Chris Arreola at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California when Arreola's trainer, Henry Ramirez called a stop to the fight.[10] Arreola was considered at the time one of the divisions hardest punchers however,Klitschko kept Arreola at bay with his left jab and hit him almost at will with the right. On 12 December Vitali defeated Kevin Johnson by unanimous decision winning almost every round. Johnson, a skillful fighter, tried to negate Klitschko's strength with angles and head movement. Though he proved hard to hit he failed to launch any sustained attack of his own. After the Johnson bout, Klitschko's camp began negotiations for a potential fight with fomer WBA Champion Nikolai Valuev, but the match failed to materialise due to economic disagreements.[11][12][13][14]

On 24 February 2010, Klitschko stated that 2010 will be his final year as a professional boxer [1]. Klitschko then defended his WBC belt against Albert Sosnowski on May 29 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.[15] Klitschko won the fight by knockout in the 10th round, against a brave but limited opponent.[16] With the fourth defense of his WBC crown, Vitali improved his record to 40-2, with 38 of his wins coming by knockout.

On August 17, 2010 it was announced that Vitali would defend his WBC title against Shannon Briggs on October 16.

Outside the ring

Both Vitali and his brother are avid chess players. Vitali is a friend of former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik and the two have played, with Kramnik always winning. Vitali has commented that "chess is similar to boxing. You need to develop a strategy, and you need to think two or three steps ahead about what your opponent is doing. You have to be smart. But what's the difference between chess and boxing? In chess, nobody is an expert, but everybody plays. In boxing everybody is an expert, but nobody fights."[17]

Vitali and his brother also have been involved in charitable activities dedicated to support the needs of schools, churches and children. In 2002, the Klitschko brothers announced that they had agreed to work specifically for the UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) which supports more than 180 projects in 87 countries.

In his autobiography, published in Germany in 2004, the boxer revealed that he tested positive for a banned substance (steroid) in 1996. He attributed the presence of the drug to treatment of a leg injury but was dismissed from the Ukranian boxing team and missed the Atlanta Olympics [18]. His brother Wladimir moved up from heavyweight to super-heavyweight to take his place in the squad.

Political career

Klitschko began campaigning for mayor of Kiev shortly after his retirement in 2005. He lost the 2006 mayoral election to Leonid Chernovetsky but placed second with 26% of the vote, ahead of the incumbent Oleksandr Omelchenko. Klitschko campaigned on an anti-corruption platform associated with Pora party. Analysts stated his relatively late entry into the campaign might have cost him votes. Still, he was elected as a people's deputy to the Kiev City Council.[19] In the May 2008 Kiev local election he ran again and won 18% of the vote. His party, Vitaliy Klychko Bloc, won 10.61% of the votes and 15 seats and again he was elected into the Kiev City Council.[20] His campaign hired Rudy Giuliani to consult the campaign.[21] In 2008 he was also appointed to the Ukrainian delegation of the Congress of the Council of Europe.

Klitschko became a leader of the political party Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform in April 2010.[22]

Personal

His father, Vladimir Rodionovich Klitschko, was a Soviet Air Force Colonel. His mother is Nadezhda Ulyanovna. Klitschko is married to Natalia Egorova, a former athlete and model. They met in Kiev and got married in April 1996. He has three children, Yegor-Daniel, Elizabeth-Victoria and Max (named after the former World Heavyweight Champion Max Schmeling).

In 1996, he graduated from the Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky Pedagogical Institute (Ukraine) and was accepted into the postgraduate study program at Kiev University. On 29 February 2000, he presented his doctoral thesis on "talent and sponsorship in sports"[23] at the Kiev University of Physical Science and Sports, and his Ph.D. in Sports Science was conferred.

Professional boxing record

40 Wins (38 knockouts), 2 Losses, 0 Draws[24]
Res. Record Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes
United States Shannon Briggs (12) 16 October 2010 Germany Hamburg, Germany WBC heavyweight title.
Win 40-2 Poland Albert Sosnowski KO 10 (12) 29 May 2010 Germany Gelsenkirchen, Germany WBC heavyweight title. Sosnowski was in trouble late in the 9th round after repeated head shots but was saved by the bell signalling the end of the round. Sosnowski was knocked down by a right hand in the 10th round, prompting referee Jay Nady to immediately wave off the fight.
Win 39-2 United States Kevin Johnson UD 12 (12) 12 December 2009 Switzerland Berne, Switzerland WBC heavyweight title. Klitschko was never troubled by Johnson but still took few chances. The previously unbeaten Johnson, appeared more intent on survival than victory and looked definitely out of Klitschko's depth. Johnson's continuous defensive antics made it very difficult for Klitschko to push for a knockout victory finally appearing to momentarily stun Johnson in the final round. The judges scored the fight 120-108 120-108 and 119-109 respectively, all in Klitschko's favour.
Win 38-2 United States Chris Arreola RTD 10 (12) 3:00 26 September 2009 United States Los Angeles, CA, United States WBC heavyweight title. Klitschko continually rocked Arreola with severe punches throughout the fight, breaking the nose of Arreola in the ninth round. Due to the persistent one-two combinations aimed at the face of Arreola, his trainer, Henry Ramirez called a stop to the fight at the conclusion of the tenth round due to extensive facial injuries.
Win 37-2 Cuba Juan Carlos Gomez TKO 9 (12) 1.48 21 March 2009 Germany Stuttgart, Germany WBC heavyweight title. Gomez received a cut to the right eye in the fifth round. Klitschko rocked Gomez with a series of power punches in the seventh round causing Gomez to go down. Another barrage of power punches in the ninth round stunned Gomez and caused the referee to stop the fight.
Win 36-2 Nigeria Samuel Peter RTD 9 (12), 3:00 11 October 2008 Germany Berlin, Germany WBC heavyweight title. Peter retired on his stool at the conclusion of the eighth round.
Win 35-2 United Kingdom Danny Williams TKO 8 (12), 1:26 11 December 2004 United States Las Vegas, Nevada, United States WBC, Ring Magazine heavyweight title.
Win 34-2 South Africa Corrie Sanders TKO 8 (12), 2:46 24 April 2004 United States Los Angeles, CA, United States WBC, Ring Magazine heavyweight title. Sanders took a serious pounding in the eighth round but refused to go down so the referee stopped the fight to save Sanders from taking any more punishment.
Win 33-2 Canada Kirk Johnson TKO 2 (12), 2:54 6 December 2003 United States New York, United States WBC Heavyweight Title Eliminator. Klitschko was able to control the range of the fight, and landed often with right hands. Johnson tried to work behind his jab and set up some winging power shots, but was unable to connect on his taller opponent. In round 2, Johnson was wobbled by right hand behind the ear, and was down to his knees after a barrage of punches from Klitschko. Johnson would rise at the count of two, but was on the canvas seconds later after another barrage of punches from Klitschko. Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. did not pick up a count and stopped the fight as Johnson attempted to make his way up.
Loss 32-2 United Kingdom Lennox Lewis TKO 6 (12), 3:00 21 June 2003 United States Los Angeles, CA, United States WBC, IBO heavyweight title. Lewis was stunned by a barrage of power punches in the second round. The fight was stopped after the 6th round, on the advice of ringside doctor, Dr. Paul Wallace, due to a large cut over Klitschko's left eye. The cut was opened by a Lewis punch in the 3rd round. Klitschko was leading 58-56 on all three judges scorecards, when the fight was stopped.
Win 32-1 United States Larry Donald TKO 10 (12), 2:35 23 November 2002 Germany Dortmund, Germany WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title. WBA Heavyweight Title Eliminator.
Win 31-1 United States Vaughn Bean TKO 11 (12), 1:40 8 February 2002 Germany Braunschweig, Germany WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title.
Win 30-1 United States Ross Puritty TKO 11 (12), 1:16 8 December 2001 Germany Oberhausen, Germany WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title. Fight stopped due to bad cut.
Win 29-1 United States Orlin Norris KO 1 (12), 1:09 27 January 2001 Germany Munich, Germany Vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title.
Win 28-1 Germany Timo Hoffmann UD 12 (12), 25 November 2000 Germany Hannover, Germany Vacant EBU (European) heavyweight title.
Loss 27-1 United States Chris Byrd RTD 9 (12), 3:00 1 April 2000 Germany Berlin, Germany WBO heavyweight title. After the ninth round Klitschko claimed an injured shoulder and quit on his stool (After the fight Klitschko was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff).
Win 27-0 United States Obed Sullivan TKO 9 (12), 3:00 11 December 1999 Germany Hamburg, Germany WBO heavyweight title. Sullivan fails to answer the bell for Round 10. Ruled as a TKO after the 9th round.
Win 26-0 United States Ed Mahone TKO 3 (12), 1:45 9 October 1999 Germany Oberhausen, Germany WBO heavyweight title.
Win 25-0 United Kingdom Herbie Hide KO 2 (12), 1:14 26 June 1999 United Kingdom London, United Kingdom WBO heavyweight title. Hide down twice in 2nd round.
Win 24-0 France Ismael Youla TKO 2 (12), 1:30 20 February 1999 Germany Hamburg, Germany EBU (European) heavyweight title.
Win 23-0 Italy Francesco Spinelli TKO 1 (12), 1:49 5 December 1998 Ukraine Kiev, Ukraine EBU (European) heavyweight title.
Win 22-0 Germany Mario Schiesser TKO 2 (12), 2:00 24 October 1998 Germany Hamburg, Germany Vacant EBU (European) heavyweight title.
Win 21-0 Jamaica Ricardo Kennedy TKO 1 (8), 1:31 11 August 1998 United States Miami, FL, United States
Win 20-0 Cuba Jose Ribalta TKO 2 (12), 5 June 1998 Germany Hamburg, Germany
Win 19-0 United States Dicky Ryan TKO 5 (12), 2 May 1998 Germany Lübeck, Germany Vacant WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title.
Win 18-0 United Kingdom Julius Francis TKO 2 (12), 18 April 1998 Germany Aachen, Germany
Win 17-0 United States Levi Billups KO 2 (10), 20 March 1998 Germany Frankfurt, Germany
Win 16-0 United States Louis Monaco KO 3 (10), 7 March 1998 Germany Cologne, Germany
Win 15-0 Bulgaria Alben Belinski KO 2 (8), 30 January 1998 Germany Munich, Germany
Win 14-0 United States Marcus Rhode TKO 2 (8), 17 January 1998 Germany Berlin, Germany
Win 13-0 United States Anthony Willis KO 5 (8), 20 December 1997 Germany Berlin, Germany
Win 12-0 United States Herman Delgado TKO 3 (8), 29 November 1997 Germany Karlsruhe, Germany
Win 11-0 United States Gilberto Williamson KO 6 (6), 8 November 1997 Germany Frankfurt, Germany
Win 10-0 United States Will Hinton KO 2 (6), 4 October 1997 Germany Hannover, Germany
Win 9-0 United States Jimmy Haynes KO 2 (6), 14 June 1997 Germany Aachen, Germany
Win 8-0 United States Cleveland Woods KO 2 (6), 2:16 10 May 1997 Germany Frankfurt, Germany
Win 7-0 United States Derrick Roddy TKO 2 (6), 2:14 12 April 1997 Germany Aachen, Germany
Win 6-0 United States Calvin Jones KO 1 (6), 2:58 8 March 1997 Germany Cologne, Germany
Win 5-0 Canada Troy Roberts KO 2 (6), 22 February 1997 Germany Hamburg, Germany
Win 4-0 United States Mike Acklie KO 1 (6), 0:32 25 January 1997 Germany Stuttgart, Germany
Win 3-0 United States Brian Sargent TKO 2 (6), 1:08 21 December 1996 Germany Frankfurt, Germany
Win 2-0 Slovakia Frantisek Sumina TKO 1 (4), 1:12 30 November 1996 Austria Wiener Neustadt, Austria
Win 1-0 United States Tony Bradham KO 2 (4), 1:14 16 November 1996 Germany Hamburg, Germany Bradham down once in both rounds. Pro debut for Klitschko.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://bsanna-news.ukrinform.ua/newsitem.php?id=13264&lang=en
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Freeman, Mike (2003-06-22). "Lewis Cuts the Deepest and Retains His Title". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/sports/boxing-lewis-cuts-the-deepest-and-retains-his-title.html?scp=10&sq=klitschko%20lewis&st=cse. Retrieved 2009-06-22. 
  3. ↑ Daley, Kieran (31 July 2003). "Boxing: Lewis set to retire after re-match with Klitschko". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/boxing-lewis-set-to-retire-after-rematch-with-klitschko-588533.html. Retrieved 27 May 2010. 
  4. ↑ "Vitali Klitschko Only Interested in Lennox Lewis, Valuev - Boxing News". Boxingscene.com. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=16423.html. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  5. ↑ "Klitschko Bros KO Universum". Eastsideboxing.com. http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=21793&more=1. Retrieved 2009-11-11. 
  6. ↑ "Klitschko Remains a Champion In a Dominating Show of Force". New York Times. 2004-12-12. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02E3DF1F31F931A25751C1A9629C8B63&fta=y. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  7. ↑ "Rahman: If not Vitali, bring on Wlad". Sports.espn.go.com. 2005-11-10. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2220413. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  8. ↑ Davies, Gareth A (2008-10-12). "David Haye confident he can take down both Klitschko brothers". London: Telegraph.co.uk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/3184341/David-Haye-confident-he-can-take-down-both-Klitschko-brothers.html. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  9. ↑ "Sensations-Comeback: Vitali Klitschko will wieder boxen! - Bild.de". Bild.t-online.de. 2007-01-24. http://www.bild.t-online.de/BTO/sport/2007/01/24/klitschko-vitali-comeback/boxen-comeback.html. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  10. ↑ "Dominant Klitschko beats Arreola". BBC Sport. 2009-09-27. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8274233.stm. Retrieved 2009-09-28. 
  11. ↑ Krikunov, Andrey (December 28, 2009). "Vitali Klitschko-Nikolai Valuev Possible For April/May?". BoxingScene.com. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=24364. Retrieved May 9, 2010. 
  12. ↑ Reeno, Rick (February 8, 2010). "Vitali Klitschko, Nikolai Valuev Talks Have Cooled Down". BoxingScene.com. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=25230. Retrieved May 9, 2010. 
  13. ↑ Krikunov, Andrey (March 2, 2010). "Vitali Klitschko, Nikolai Valuev Hoping To Reach Terms". BoxingScene.com. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=25718. Retrieved May 9, 2010. 
  14. ↑ Vester, Mark (March 10, 2010). "Vitali Klitschko Says: "Nikolai Valuev is a Chicken"". BoxingScene.com. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=25912. Retrieved May 9, 2010. 
  15. ↑ "Vitali Klitschko-Albert Sosnowski on May 29 in Germany". BoxingScene.com. March 9, 2010. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=25881. Retrieved May 9, 2010. 
  16. ↑ Sukachev, Alexey (May 29, 2010). "Vitali Klitschko Beats Down Albert Sosnowski In Ten". BoxingScene.com. http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=28177. Retrieved May 30, 2010. 
  17. ↑ HBO (2009-09-27). "Boxing: Fighters: Bio: VITALI KLITSCHKO". HBO. http://www.hbo.com/boxing/fighters/klitschko_vitali/bio.html. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  18. ↑ Mee, Bob (2004-11-02). "Klitschko admits steroid abuse". Telegraph Sport (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/2389404/Boxing-Klitschko-admits-steroid-abuse.html. Retrieved 2010-04-08. 
  19. ↑ "Kyiv gets first new mayor in decade". Kyiv Post. 2006-03-29. http://www.kyivpost.com/nation/24142/. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  20. ↑ "Biography Vitaliy Klychko, official party website". Klichko.org. http://klichko.org/?C=53. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  21. ↑ Chan, Sewell (2008-05-07). "Giuliani Weighs In on Race for Mayor (in Ukraine) - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com". Cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/giuliani-weighs-in-on-race-for-mayor-in-ukraine/. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  22. ↑ "WBC World Champion Vitaly Klitschko leads new party". Kyiv Post. 2010-04-24. http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/64928/. Retrieved 2009-11-01. 
  23. ↑ CyberBoxingZone News, 29-02-2000 "Calling Dr. Klitschko". Retrieved 07-11-2008.
  24. ↑ "Vitali Klitschko's career boxing record". Boxrec.com. http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=7033&cat=boxer. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Herbie Hide		 WBO Heavyweight champion
June 26, 1999 – January 4, 2000		 Succeeded by
Chris Byrd
Vacant
Title last held by
Lennox Lewis		 WBC Heavyweight Champion
April 24, 2004 – November 9, 2005
Retired		 Succeeded by
Hasim Rahman
Interim Champion promoted
The Ring Heavyweight Champion
April 24, 2004 – November 9, 2005
Retired		 Vacant
Title next held by
Wladimir Klitschko
Preceded by
Samuel Peter		 WBC Heavyweight Champion
October 11, 2008 – present		 Incumbent