Wladimir Klitschko
Wladimir Klitschko
Wladimir Klitschkois a Ukrainian professional boxer. He is a former world heavyweight champion of four sanctioning bodies, having held the titles of the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO, in addition to holding the lineal championship, and being recognized by The Ring magazine as its world heavyweight champion. A highly strategic boxer, Klitschko is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time, and is also thought to be among the hardest punching knockout artists in the history...
NationalityUkrainian
ProfessionBoxer
Date of Birth25 March 1976
CitySemey, Kazakhstan
CountryUkraine
It is up to the people and boxing fans to give me the respect I deserve once I have finished my career. I personally do not think about my legacy.
My height is an advantage, if I want to use it.
Radiation doesn't recognize borders. A meltdown in Japan or India, say, is a danger to the whole world. Wind circulates the radiation everywhere. Water quality is affected. We all eat the same fish. We use products from all over the world - if something is contaminated, it will cause harm.
I train six days a week for four to five hours a day. I like to keep the same schedule when I'm in camp for every fight.
If I am 100% prepared for the fight, my opponent has no chance to win the fight. I am saying what I mean: He has a 0% chance to win the fight. There is going to be no luck involved; there is going to be nothing else to stop me from winning the fight.
I don't like to get hit, who likes it? I probably wouldn't do this sport if I was getting hit that much.
I should say that mental strength is No. 1, experience [is] No. 2, physical strength is No. 3, and genetic ability that you're getting from Mother Nature probably comes after.
From nothing to everything is a long way, from everything to nothing is one stop.
The man without a chin, no stamina, dead man, broken man, whatever. On your way to the top, you always get some criticism. Criticism is a great motivation. Failure is not an option to me.
Mental strength is really important because you either win or lose in your mind. And I'm not solely talking about sporting matches, boxing events - anything you do, you do it first with your mental strength. And you can actually train and develop it, and I am responsible for what I'm saying because I have experience with that.
It's such a gift in my life to be able to compete - to have the health.
In the old days, when Muhammad Ali was fighting Ken Norton, Joe Frazier and George Foreman, there was a lot of excitement in the heavyweight division, I have to admit it.
It's not my place to compare myself to greats like Tyson, Frazier or men like that. But I would look at a fighter like Evander Holyfield. He's a great heavyweight who worked his way up through the weight classes to become champion and had to beat bigger men along the way.
I don't care where people come from. It is not important to me. If you are good people will like you, if you're not, they won't. It is simple.