Wladimir Klitschko retires from boxing

CAIRO – 7 August 2017: Wladimir Klitschko, The Ukrainian former professional boxer announced his retirement from boxing and will not face British boxer Anthony Joshua in a rematch.

The Ukrainian had a rematch clause in the contract from their thrilling April clash, but the former world heavyweight champion has opted against it and will instead end his 21 year professional career.

The 41-year-old, suffered his fifth defeat of 96 fights when he was stopped by International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBAA) champion Anthony Joshua in the 11th round of an all action clash at Wembley Stadium. It followed a point defeat by British boxer Tyson Fury, who ended Klitschko’s 11 years as a heavyweight champion.

Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2017. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBA, IBF and World Boxing Organization (WBO) titles, as well as the International Boxing Organization (IBO), Ring magazine and lineal titles.

On Friday, Klitschko said, “I deliberately took a few weeks to make my decision, to make sure I had enough distance from the fight at Wembley Stadium. As an amateur and a professional boxer, I have achieved everything I dreamed of, and now I want to start my second career after sports. I would have never imagined that I would have such a long and incredibly successful boxing career, I am very thankful for this.”

He also added, “thanks to everyone who has always supported me, especially my family, my team and my many fans.”

Klitschko recovered from a fifth round knockdown to make Joshua fall for the first time in his professional career.

He has chosen not to exercise his rematch clause for the final fight. Kiltschko’s last fight was widely considered the most entertaining in the heavyweight division since the glamour era of the 1990s, and was also perhaps the biggest since the three time world champion Lennox Lewis overcame the American former professional boxer Mike Tyson in 2002.

Klitschko had an offer for a second fight around £20 million ($23.6 million), but it appears he felt that his body would not get through another grueling training camp and has decided to hang up his gloves.

The British boxer Joshua could now face Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev, who is the mandatory challenger for his International Boxing Federation title, on October 28 at the Principality stadium in Cardiff.