Wladimir Klitschko, please hang up the gloves. You’ve had a brilliant-bestest boxing career but at 41 years of age, with 2 losses in a row, it’s time to take stock. You’ve earned the respect of the boxing world, by your going unbeaten for 8 years, by your formidable lead hand jab, and by your cerebral, sensible no-unnecessary-risk approach in the ring.
You’ve also got a PHD in Sports Science so there’s a career, you’ve got your foundation “bringing dreams to life” that could probably use your full time attention – and you speak Ukrainian, Russian, German, and English and all those societies would sure love the likes of you with your good works and vast potential outside of boxing to boost their collective consciousness from decency to excellence.
Geez, even if the above avenues don’t appeal you could go down the slimy road of politics. Isn’t brother Vitali mayor of Kiev?
Anyway, Wladimir, AKA Dr. Steelhammer, be proud you’ve held the: International Boxing Organization World Heavyweight, WBA Super World Heavyweight, IBF World Heavyweight and the WBO World Heavyweight titles. Although no sane, rational person has been able to keep up with why heavyweight boxing had to have its belt-title-organization multiply bifurcate – to be top dog with these groups, is impressive.
You, Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klychko even after losing in the 11th round before approximately 90,000 Wembley boxing fans – the biggest gate there, in London, England - in 8 DECADES - to Anthony Joshua, stand tall, even taller than your 6’6”. You, literally and metaphorically, fought the good fight against this 27-year-old IBF World Heavyweight champion opponent and you didn’t, for the most part, fight tomato cans while retaining your title(s).
But against Anthony you hit the deck, the canvas, 3 times. True, you knocked him off his feet, hitting his chin for an 8-count - for the first time in his 19-pro-fight career (with Anthony’s trainer Rob McCracken thinking his man was a goner) but YOU going down repeatedly has to tell you – despite the contractual right to a rematch against Joshua, to not exercise that provision - and to spend the rest of your life exercising, where the chances of you facing and sustaining brain injury is nil. Remember this fight as a losing effort – but you gave it your all. In your previous fight, a loss to Tyson Fury, you only landed 52 of 231 punches thrown - a 23% clip.
What counts for more than your 2 losses in a row, however, is that you are still – for any age – a man in excellent physical condition. Put it simply, you’re jacked. Congratulations. Most of us start losing tone from 20 on – and you’ve proven to millions that one can keep superb physical form and looks into their forties. Well done.
And kudos for your supreme, classy act, after the loss, via Twitter. You tweeted respect and congratulations to the victor. You’re a gentleman. None other than Oscar De La Hoya tweeted that Klitschko “...will always be a great champion.” Lennox Lewis and Sugar Ray Leonard also tweeted compliments. The world needs more - via the speaking circuit, perhaps - to learn of your winning habits.
You are capable of introspection. We could, individually and collectively, all use a healthy dollop of that. Your frank confession that Corrie Sanders cleaning your clock in a knockout in the second round back in 2003 made you analyze, from A to Z, your situation. You added that this drubbing made you a better fighter, and man - - - and the whole process was a tremendous lesson for your followers. To admit failure was remarkable – to shed insights into that that flopping was golden.
You are also capable of off-beat, counter intuitive views. Being born in Kazakhstan, conventional and national wisdom says you should deplore the comic Sacha Cohen whose movie, “Borat”- many from Kazakhstan feel - depicts its citizenry in a bad light. To laugh at one’s own perceived or real faults – is another nugget-example of knowledge from which your existing base, and potential world of followers, awaits more of, should you tell of your insights, full time...
Speaking of movies, perhaps you could use your footwork, network, and family experiences to be the subject of another movie. After all, recall, Sebastian Dehnhardt did direct you and Vitali in the, Romy 2012 best documentary winning flick: Klitschko – Fighters Legends Brothers.
(For us unfamiliar with the documentary you two brother pugilists were tracked and taped, for a couple of years, in travels through the Ukraine, The States, Germany, Canada, Austria, Switzerland and the good old, there’s no place like home, Kazakhstan.)
And rest assured Wladimir, the media lefties like your views. ESPN as an employer is not a far reach. Back in 2014 Boxing News said: “...Klitschko, is an articulate and magnanimous ambassador for his sport. He holds liberal political views, regards the lack of women in politics as scandalous and shames racists and homophobes all over the world.”
Wladimir, you’ve won a ton, 64 wins for those that are counting such things, and have, incredibly, won the hearts of detractors in the process of losing a few bouts. You’ve kept perspective, expanded boxing’s horizons deep into Europe and yet have kept your kin and karma simple and succinct in promising your mother (ok it was her wish-command) that you would never fight your brother professionally. You’ve done it all. With class.
Take a bow, leave the ring now. And please ignore boxing promoter Eddie Hearn's spin that a rematch between you and Joshua is 50-50 proposition and please rebut potential pleas from your manager Bernd Boente to fight again.
You’ve also got a PHD in Sports Science so there’s a career, you’ve got your foundation “bringing dreams to life” that could probably use your full time attention – and you speak Ukrainian, Russian, German, and English and all those societies would sure love the likes of you with your good works and vast potential outside of boxing to boost their collective consciousness from decency to excellence.
Geez, even if the above avenues don’t appeal you could go down the slimy road of politics. Isn’t brother Vitali mayor of Kiev?
Anyway, Wladimir, AKA Dr. Steelhammer, be proud you’ve held the: International Boxing Organization World Heavyweight, WBA Super World Heavyweight, IBF World Heavyweight and the WBO World Heavyweight titles. Although no sane, rational person has been able to keep up with why heavyweight boxing had to have its belt-title-organization multiply bifurcate – to be top dog with these groups, is impressive.
You, Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klychko even after losing in the 11th round before approximately 90,000 Wembley boxing fans – the biggest gate there, in London, England - in 8 DECADES - to Anthony Joshua, stand tall, even taller than your 6’6”. You, literally and metaphorically, fought the good fight against this 27-year-old IBF World Heavyweight champion opponent and you didn’t, for the most part, fight tomato cans while retaining your title(s).
But against Anthony you hit the deck, the canvas, 3 times. True, you knocked him off his feet, hitting his chin for an 8-count - for the first time in his 19-pro-fight career (with Anthony’s trainer Rob McCracken thinking his man was a goner) but YOU going down repeatedly has to tell you – despite the contractual right to a rematch against Joshua, to not exercise that provision - and to spend the rest of your life exercising, where the chances of you facing and sustaining brain injury is nil. Remember this fight as a losing effort – but you gave it your all. In your previous fight, a loss to Tyson Fury, you only landed 52 of 231 punches thrown - a 23% clip.
What counts for more than your 2 losses in a row, however, is that you are still – for any age – a man in excellent physical condition. Put it simply, you’re jacked. Congratulations. Most of us start losing tone from 20 on – and you’ve proven to millions that one can keep superb physical form and looks into their forties. Well done.
And kudos for your supreme, classy act, after the loss, via Twitter. You tweeted respect and congratulations to the victor. You’re a gentleman. None other than Oscar De La Hoya tweeted that Klitschko “...will always be a great champion.” Lennox Lewis and Sugar Ray Leonard also tweeted compliments. The world needs more - via the speaking circuit, perhaps - to learn of your winning habits.
You are capable of introspection. We could, individually and collectively, all use a healthy dollop of that. Your frank confession that Corrie Sanders cleaning your clock in a knockout in the second round back in 2003 made you analyze, from A to Z, your situation. You added that this drubbing made you a better fighter, and man - - - and the whole process was a tremendous lesson for your followers. To admit failure was remarkable – to shed insights into that that flopping was golden.
You are also capable of off-beat, counter intuitive views. Being born in Kazakhstan, conventional and national wisdom says you should deplore the comic Sacha Cohen whose movie, “Borat”- many from Kazakhstan feel - depicts its citizenry in a bad light. To laugh at one’s own perceived or real faults – is another nugget-example of knowledge from which your existing base, and potential world of followers, awaits more of, should you tell of your insights, full time...
Speaking of movies, perhaps you could use your footwork, network, and family experiences to be the subject of another movie. After all, recall, Sebastian Dehnhardt did direct you and Vitali in the, Romy 2012 best documentary winning flick: Klitschko – Fighters Legends Brothers.
(For us unfamiliar with the documentary you two brother pugilists were tracked and taped, for a couple of years, in travels through the Ukraine, The States, Germany, Canada, Austria, Switzerland and the good old, there’s no place like home, Kazakhstan.)
And rest assured Wladimir, the media lefties like your views. ESPN as an employer is not a far reach. Back in 2014 Boxing News said: “...Klitschko, is an articulate and magnanimous ambassador for his sport. He holds liberal political views, regards the lack of women in politics as scandalous and shames racists and homophobes all over the world.”
Wladimir, you’ve won a ton, 64 wins for those that are counting such things, and have, incredibly, won the hearts of detractors in the process of losing a few bouts. You’ve kept perspective, expanded boxing’s horizons deep into Europe and yet have kept your kin and karma simple and succinct in promising your mother (ok it was her wish-command) that you would never fight your brother professionally. You’ve done it all. With class.
Take a bow, leave the ring now. And please ignore boxing promoter Eddie Hearn's spin that a rematch between you and Joshua is 50-50 proposition and please rebut potential pleas from your manager Bernd Boente to fight again.