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Vitali Klitschko
Statistics
Real name	Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Klychko
Nickname(s)	Dr. Iron Fist
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft. 7½ in. (202 cm.)
Nationality	Ukrainian
Birth date	July 19, 1971 (1971-07-19) (age 36)
Birth place	Belovodsk, Kyrgyzstan
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	37
Wins	35
Wins by KO	34
Losses	2
Draws	0
No contests	0

Medal record
Competitor for  Ukraine
Men’s Boxing
World Amateur Championships
Silver	1995 Berlin	Super heavyweight

Vitali Vladimirovich Klitschko (Ukrainian: Віталій Володимирович Кличко, Vitaliy Volodymyrovych Klychko) born July 19, 1971). Klitschko is a Ukrainian professional boxer and was WBC and Ring heavyweight champion. He retired in 2005 and announced his comeback in 2007. He has the highest knockout percentage (92%) of any heavyweight champion in overall fights^{[citation needed]} and is one of few heavyweight champions never to have been knocked down professionally. His younger brother, Wladimir Klitschko, is the current IBF, WBO & IBO heavyweight champion. Image File history File links Crystal_Clear_app_kedit. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (602x811, 172 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Vitali Klitschko Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ukraine. ... For other meanings of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer. ... The World Amateur Boxing Championships is the highest competition for boxing amateurs, organised by worlds governing body AIBA, which stands for the Association International de Boxe Amateur. ... The Mens 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in the Deutschlandhalle in Berlin, Germany from May 4 to May 15. ... is the 200th day of the year (201st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... For other meanings of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer. ... WBC logo mark The World Boxing Council was initially created by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo López... Front cover of the first issue of Ring Magazine Ring Magazine is a boxing magazine that was first published in 1922. ... Wladimir Klitschko (Ukrainian: ; born March 25, 1976) is a Ukrainian heavyweight boxer. ... IBF redirects here. ... The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. ... The International Boxing Organization (IBO) is a for-profit organization that sanctions professional boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships. ...

Boxing career

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Originally a professional kickboxer, Vitali 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. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Question_book-new. ... Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Kicking to left side Kickboxing refers to sport-fighting using kicks and punches and sometimes throws and bows representing a certain martial art or can be practiced for general fitness, or as a full-contact sport. ... A U.S. vs. ... The Mens 1995 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in the Deutschlandhalle in Berlin, Germany from May 4 to May 15. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... Alexei Lezin (born February 27, 1973) was a Russian boxer. ...

He began his professional boxing career in 1996, winning his first twenty-four fights by either early knockout or technical-knockout (TKO). He and Wladimir^{[original research?]} signed with the German athlete-promotion company Universum. With both brothers holding Ph.D.s and being multilingual, their charismatic, 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 June 26, 1999, Klitschko won the WBO heavyweight title from Herbie Hide of the United Kingdom by a 2nd round knockout. Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... TKO may refer to: A technical knockout, in the sport of boxing TKO (MMA), a Mixed Martial Arts promotion based in Montreal,Canada. ... Universum Box-Promotion is a Hamburg based German athlete-promotion company. ... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is one of the sanctioning organizations currently recognizing world boxing champions. ... Herbie Hide is a British boxer fighting out of Norwich. ...

He defended the title twice before losing it on April 1, 2000 to American Chris Byrd. Complaining of shoulder pain, Vitali and his corner decided to concede after the ninth round. Vitali was ahead on all three judges' scorecards (89-82, and 88-83 twice), but the way he ended this match brought international criticism,^{[citation needed]} and resulted in a reputation at least partially as a quitter.^{[citation needed]} is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Chris Cornelius Byrd (born August 15, 1970) in Flint, Michigan where he attended Flint Northwestern High School is a 6 ft. ...

On June 21, 2003, he fought Lennox Lewis for the WBC heavyweight championship in Los Angeles, California. For the first two rounds, Klitschko was fighting very well. In the 3rd round, Lewis wounded Klitschko's left eye and the next two rounds were give and take. Before the 7th round, the ringside doctor inspected the wound and thought it severe enough to threaten eye damage if struck again. The doctor stopped the fight despite Klitschko's pleas to continue. Because Vitali's wound was a result of the punches from Lewis, and not a headbutt, the rules stated that Lewis would win by a technical knockout. Though he had lost, Klitschko gained international respect for fighting so well against the heavyweight champion for 6 rounds. An immediate rematch was arranged for December 6th of that year,^{[citation needed]} but Lewis instead retired. is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lennox Claudius Lewis CM, CBE (born September 2, 1965) is a retired British/Canadian professional boxer. ... WBC logo mark The World Boxing Council was initially created by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo López... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ...

Around this time, the Klitschko brothers moved from Hamburg, Germany to Los Angeles, California. The western U.S.'s premium training facilities were now nearby, and they could boost their profiles by mixing socially with boxing insiders. For other uses, see Hamburg (disambiguation). ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ...

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 resolved in late 2004.^{[citation needed]}

Klitschko earned an 8th-round TKO victory over South African Corrie Sanders on April 24, 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 March 8, 2003. This fight was also for The Ring Magazine belt. Klitschko was rocked early by the powerful Sanders, but by using movement and strong punching he broke down Sanders and forced the referee to stop the bout. The former Soviet became the first professional boxing world champion with a PhD (in sports medicine and philosophy). Cornelius Johannes Sanders (born on January 7, 1966 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a South African boxer. ... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... WBC logo mark The World Boxing Council was initially created by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo López... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Vitali Klitschko's first world title defense was against British boxer Danny Williams. Williams had become suddenly marketable from a KO over Mike Tyson in round 4. Klitschko scored a technical knockout against Williams in 8 rounds on December 11, 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 afterwards, Klitschko dedicated his victory to democracy in his native Ukraine, and also to the Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, whom he supported in the December 26, 2004, election revote.^{[citation needed]} Daniel Williams (born July 13, 1973, London, England) is a British professional heavyweight boxer, and former Commonwealth champion. ... For the former baseball player, see Mike Tyson (baseball). ... is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko (Ukrainian:  ) (born February 23, 1954) is the current President of Ukraine. ... is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The presidential election held in November and December 2004 in Ukraine was mostly a political battle between Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and former Prime Minister and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko. ...

On November 9, 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[2]. 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.^{[citation needed]} He still occasionally calls out Lennox Lewis, who has been retired since early 2004, for a rematch.^{[citation needed]} is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lennox Claudius Lewis CM, CBE (born September 2, 1965) is a retired British/Canadian professional boxer. ...

In the German Bild-Zeitung, he announced on January 24, 2007 his comeback and requested to fight again.^[1] But because of a number of health problems, Klitschko has backed out from a number of bouts scheduled for him. The Bild-Zeitung (often abbreviated Bild, lit. ... is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

It is now expected that Vitali will return to fight WBC heavyweight champion Samuel Peter for his title, having been promised a title shot by the WBC.

Outside the ring

Klitschko began campaigning for mayor of Kyiv shortly after his retirement. Klitschko lost the 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 Kiev City Council. Mayor of Kiev (Ukrainian: ) is the mayor of the municipality of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. ... Kiev (Київ, Kyiv, in Ukrainian; Киев, Kiev, in Russian) is the capital and largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper river. ... Leonid Chernovetsky was a self-nominated candidate in the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election. ... Oleksander Omelchenko was a candidate in the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, nominated by the Unity party, which he chairs. ... The rising sun of Pora! symbolizes a new dawn Pora! (Ukrainian: ), meaning ITS TIME! in Ukrainian, is a civic youth organization in Ukraine espousing nonviolent resistance and advocating increased national democracy, in opposition to what they claimed was the authoritarian governing style of Ukraines president Leonid Kuchma. ... Kiev City Council or Kyivrada (Ukrainian: ) is the city council of Kiev (Kyiv) municipality, the highest representative body of the city community. ...

Klitschko in March 2008 again announced an intention to run for Mayor of Kiev and made a highly publicized trip to the US which was organized by 5WPR^[2] and TriGlobal Strategic Ventures. 5W Public Relations is an American public relations firm with two offices, in New York City and Los Angeles. ...

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."^[3] Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (Russian: ) (born June 25, 1975) is a Russian chess grandmaster and the World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2007. ...

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.

Personal

Their father, Vladimir Rodionovich, was a Soviet Air Force Colonel. Their mother is Nadezhda Ulyanovna. VVS is a three letter acronym which may refer to: VVS, Very Very Slightly Included, a way of describing the clarity of a diamond. ...

He is married to Natalia Egorova, a former athlete and model. They met in Kyiv, Ukraine and got married in April of 1996. He has three children, Egor-Daniel, Elizabeth-Victoria and Max. Kiev (Київ, Kyiv, in Ukrainian; Киев, Kiev, in Russian) is the capital and largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper river. ...

In 1996, he graduated from the Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky Pedagogical Institute (Ukraine) and was accepted into the postgraduate study program at Kyiv University. On February 29, 2000, he presented his doctorate thesis at the Kyiv University of Physical Science and Sports, and his Ph.D in Philosophy in Sports Science was conferred.

Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (July 2007)

• According to Till Lindemann, the song Sonne was originally written as an entrance song for Klitschko, which was also the working title of the song. [3].
• The Klitschko brothers have created their own design collection of men's sports and leather clothes with Hugo Boss.

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Till Lindemann (b. ... Sonne (German for Sun) is a song by the German Tanz-Metall group Rammstein. ... Hugo Boss AG is a fashion house based in Metzingen, Germany, which specializes in high-end apparel. ...

External links

• "The Official Site of Klitschko Brothers" (in German/English/Ukrainian/Russian).
• Professional boxing record for Vitali Klitschko from Boxrec
• Klitschko Interview on FOX News Radio

Boxrec. ... Herbie Hide is a British boxer fighting out of Norwich. ... The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. ... This is a chronological list of world heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the following organizations: The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), The World Boxing Council (WBC), founded in 1963, The International Boxing Federation (IBF), founded in 1983, and The World Boxing... is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Chris Cornelius Byrd (born August 15, 1970) in Flint, Michigan where he attended Flint Northwestern High School is a 6 ft. ... Lennox Claudius Lewis CM, CBE (born September 2, 1965) is a retired British/Canadian professional boxer. ... WBC logo mark The World Boxing Council was initially created by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo López... This is a chronological list of world heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the following organizations: The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), The World Boxing Council (WBC), founded in 1963, The International Boxing Federation (IBF), founded in 1983, and The World Boxing... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hasim The Rock Shariff Rahman (born November 7, 1972), is an American boxer who became the linear and legit Heavyweight champion of the world by knocking out Lennox Lewis in 2001. ...

See also

• List of heavyweight boxing champions

This is a chronological list of world heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the following organizations: The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), The World Boxing Council (WBC), founded in 1963, The International Boxing Federation (IBF), founded in 1983, and The World Boxing...

References

• Kyiv gets first new mayor in decade Kyiv Post. 29 March 2006.