Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klitschko is a Ukrainian boxer and a former boxing world champion according to the versions of all four of the world's most important boxing organizations. He is the younger brother of the mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko.
Volodymyr Klitschko was born on March 25, 1976 in the city of Semipalatinsk (now Semey) of the Kazakh SSR in the family of an officer of the Air Forces of the SSR and a primary school teacher.
Photo: klitschko.com
His father is Volodymyr Rodionovych Klitschko. After graduating from the flight school, he served in Czechoslovakia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Baltic states. He participated in the liquidation of the accident at the Chornobyl NPP. In the last years of his life, he was a military attaché at the Ukrainian embassy in Germany.
His mother is Nadiia Ulianivna Klitschko. She worked as a primary school teacher.
Education
At the age of 14, Volodymyr wanted to enter a medical school to study as a paramedic. Due to his age (the medical school accepted from the age of 15), he was rejected by the admissions committee.
After returning to school, Volodymyr wanted to train with Volodymyr Zolotariov in the Army Sports Club of the Kyiv Military District. His older brother, Vitaly, worked here.
After some time, Zolotariov recommended sending Volodymyr Jr. to the Brovary School of the Olympic Reserve. He studied there from 1990 to 1992.
After that, Volodymyr Klitschko entered the Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Pedagogical Institute, graduating in 1996.
In 2001, Volodymyr defended his thesis at the Kyiv National University of Physical Education and Sports, after which he became a candidate of sciences in the field of sports and physical education.
Family
In his early youth, Volodymyr Klitschko was married to Kyiv model Oleksandra Avizova. The marriage was not particularly successful and the couple quickly broke up.
Subsequently, Volodymyr had relationships with German actress Yvonne Catterfeld, Ukrainian top model Diana Kovalchuk, Czech model Karolina Kurkova, German model Alena Gerber, American actress Lucy Liu, German journalist Nazan Eckes and American actress Hayden Panettiere.
Volodymyr was married to the latter from 2011 to 2018. In 2014, they had a daughter, whom the parents named Kaya Evdokia.
Photo: twitter.com/haydenpanettier
It is known that after giving birth, Panettiere began to suffer from depression, which she tried to fight with the help of alcohol and drugs. This became the reason for the break in relations.
After the divorce, Volodymyr received full custody of his daughter, whom he took to Ukraine.
Sports career
Volodymyr Klitschko's amateur boxing career began in 1993, when he won first place at the European Junior Boxing Championship in the first heavy weight category.
In 1996, Volodymyr took part in the XXVI Olympic Games, which took place in Atlanta, U.S. There he won gold, defeating Lawrence Clay-Bey, Attila Levin, Alexei Lezin and Paea Wolfgramm.
It is noteworthy that Volodymyr went to the Olympics in Atlanta instead of his older brother, who tested positive for doping the day before.
Volodymyr became the first European who managed to win gold in super heavyweight.
Photo: klitschkomuseum.com
The professional career of the Klitschko brothers began after the Olympics, when they both signed a contract with Universum Box-Promotion.
Volodymyr Klitschko was in professional boxing from November 16, 1996 to April 29, 2017. During this time, he had 69 fights, 64 of which ended with the victory of the Ukrainian boxer.
His last opponent was the British Anthony Joshua, who was able to defeat the Ukrainian boxer at the London Wembley Stadium on April 29, 2017.
During his professional career, he held the following world titles:
- WBO world champion — 2000 — 2003;
- IBF world champion — 2006 — 2015;
- IBO world champion — 2006 — 2015;
- WBO world champion — 2008 — 2015;
- The Ring world champion — 2009 — 2015;
- WBA world super champion — 2011 — 2015.
Volodymyr Klitschko's regional titles:
- WBC international world champion — 1998;
- WBA intercontinental world champion — 1999;
- EBU European champion — 1999;
- WBC international world champion — 2000;
- WBA intercontinental world champion — 2003;
- NABF North American champion — 2005;
- WBO NABO North American champion — 2005.
Volodymyr Klitschko announced the end of his boxing career on August 3, 2017. His last opponent was the British Anthony Joshua, who was able to defeat the Ukrainian boxer.
Volodymyr Klitschko after retiring from boxing
Volodymyr Klitschko announced the end of his boxing career on August 3, 2017.
"I was obsessed with winning the fight with Joshua. I had a thousand reasons to agree to a rematch, and just as many reasons to end my career. But by the time I made the decision, a part of me had already died. I decided to end my career because I noticed that the motivation was not at the same level. Even the possible 20 million that I could have earned for the rematch with Joshua could not change my opinion," Volodymyr later told the German newspaper Bild.
After leaving the boxing ring, Volodymyr Klitschko focused on several other projects. Here are just a few of them:
- K2 Promotions – a promotion company that appeared in 2003 through the merger of K2 Promotions and National Box Promotion. The company conducts boxing matches in Ukraine, and also organizes trips of boxers abroad.
- Klitschko Foundation — a charitable organization of the Klitschko brothers operating in Ukraine. The Foundation supports sports events and educational projects on the topic of ecology and personal development.
- Challenge Management — author's method of Volodymyr Klitschko, which describes an approach to solving problems in the personal and business sphere. He repeatedly taught this method in Harvard (U.S.) and St. Gallen (Switzerland).
- Klitschko Management Group — the company of Volodymyr and Vitaly Klitschko, founded in 2007. Responsible for the sale of rights and marketing of sports events and projects under the KLITSCHKO trademark.
Other facts about Volodymyr Klitschko
- Received the nickname "Dr. Steelhammer";
- Cheers for the Dynamo Kyiv football club;
- Volodymyr Klitschko entered the ring to the song Can't Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers;
- Plays percussion instruments;
- Volodymyr's gold medal was sold for USD 1 million at the 2012 auction, the proceeds were directed to the projects of the Klitschko Brothers Foundation;
- Asteroid No. 212723, discovered on September 14, 2007, was named in honor of Volodymyr and his brother Vitaly;
- Produced Rocky the Musical together with his brother and Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone;
- Performed the main role in the official video of Part of Me by Chris Cornell;
- Appeared as a cameo in six films.
News about Volodymyr Klitschko
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