“Maybe I have this dream” / Wladimir Klitschko thinks about boxing comeback

Wladimir Klitschko has been “retired” for almost exactly five years. The Ukrainian had actually ended his career. Now he is hinting at a return, but he has conditions.

Wladimir Klitschko has not ruled out a comeback to the boxing ring. Speaking to the “Bild” newspaper, the 46-year-old said: “I also learned that despite the war, you shouldn’t forget life. Sport is part of my life. I’m glad Tyson Fury won. Who knows , I don’t want to promise anything big here, but if I’m in good shape (constitution, editor’s note) and, above all, that the war in Ukraine will soon come to an end and that our borders exist, without any invasion coming from Russia, then at the end: who knows?”

Last Saturday, 33-year-old Fury defeated Briton Dillian Whyte in his last fight. Apparently that was motivation enough for Klitschko to think about boxing again at his age. Should he choose to do so and even capture the world title, he would be the oldest world champion in history. Klitschko: “If I’m in good shape, who knows, maybe I’ll have this dream of breaking George Foreman’s record. That motivates me to get up and do sport every day. Everyone has their own motivation.”

Last fight about five years ago

At the moment, however, Klitschko is understandably focusing on the war in his home country. For weeks he has been campaigning for more attention and support for Ukraine and has shown a presence in the capital Kyiv. He hopes that the war will end soon. Only then would he think about a boxing match: “I don’t want to break a jaw, I want to break a record. I said that before the war. And during the war it’s about peace in Ukraine and when peace comes Then we’ll talk about it again.”

Klitschko was last in the ring on April 29, 2017, when he lost to Anthony Joshua with a technical knockout in the eleventh round. Since then, “Dr. Steelhammer” has worked as an entrepreneur, among other things.