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
My height is an advantage, if I want to use it. Short guys have short hands and short feet and they come up quick. Taller guys, they use their advantage. Everyone tries to use their advantages. He's going to have trouble with me. I'm going to win the fight.
I have the goal in my life to be a sports champion, ... It was very important to win because, right now, that's the fight to become number one in the IBF and WBO. It is my goal and now I'm in the position to fight for the championship.
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.
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.
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.
You lose or you win the fight - and anything in life - in your mind. I can look at how the person walks, how he speaks, his expressions. It's a wisdom. Eyes are the mirror of the soul. So you can read a lot.
I've been many times to Dubai and the U.A.E., and I have friends that live there. It would be exciting to stage world heavyweight championship fights in the Arab world. It's something Muhammad Ali achieved when he fought in Zaire or the Philippines. It's absolutely exciting to fight in countries where you have never fought.
He's a fighter with a big, big heart. But he provoked me.
From nothing to everything is a long way, ... From everything to nothing is one stop.
I can fight 12 rounds, no problem, as you can see. I enjoyed the fight.
My grandmother always told me: 'If you're a man, it's enough if you look a little bit better than an ape.'
I have a Ph.D. in philosophy and sports science. At 14, I went through this really tough Soviet training system. A lot of my roommates got psychologically broken or physically injured. Either you came through, or you were out. I made my Ph.D. work in the field of young athletes aged 14-19 because at this age any human is changing.
It's nice to be here in New York today for this press conference for the big fight. And I think this fight will be very interesting for the audience. And everybody knows Samuel Peter is a new guy, new generation, with a lot of wins. And he was a nightmare for last 24 fighters. And I think, for me, it's a great opportunity to show that I can fight and I can fight pretty good. And I think also that we could talk a lot, but not there...we will see in the ring of September 24 in Atlantic City. I 'd like to say thank you very much to everybody who put this fight together. And we should all come see. Thank you.
It is very important to know both sides. I enjoyed a lot of success in my early years, then come the tough years.