Vitali Klitschko

VitaliKlitschko

Date of Birth: 19th July 1971

Class: Heavyweight

Weight: 243lbs

Reach: 80 in (203cm)

Height: 6ft 7½ in (202cm)

Trainer: Fritz Sdunek

Career Achievements:

WBC World Heavyweight Champion (2008 - present)
WBC World Heavyweight Champion (2004)
WBA Intercontinental heavyweight Champion (2001 - 2002)
WBO World Heavyweight Champion (1999 - 2000)
EBU Heavyweight Champion (1998 - 1999, 2000)
WBO Intercontinental heavyweight Champion (1998)

Last Fight:

18th February 2012 - victory vs Dereck Chisora

Known as "Dr. Ironfist", Ukrainian heavyweight Vitali Klitschko is one of the most imposing figures in the boxing world.

The 6ft 7 ½in giant is the current WBC World Heavyweight Champion and he became the first ever man to win a world boxing championship and hold a Ph.D.

Vitali, the older of the two Klitschko brothers, won his first 24 professional fights by way of knockout or TKO. Klitschko became WBO World Heavyweight Championship with a win over British boxer Herbie Hide in June 1999.

Having won his first 27 fights through knockouts, Klitschko's first defeat - and to the last-minute stand-in fighter Chris Byrd - came as a shock to the boxing world in 2000. Vitali relinquished his WBC World title after a torn rotator cuff left his corner with no option but to throw in the towel at the end of the ninth.

Klitschko recovered to win the WBA Intercontinental and WBC World Heavyweight belts before suffering a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2004 that would keep him out for over a year. The Ukrainian elected to retire altogether, leaving his WBA and WBC belts vacated.

The big Ukrainian spent almost four years out of the ring before returning to beat Samuel Peter and regain the WBC World Heavyweight Championship that he had vacated four years earlier.

Klitschko has defended his WBC World Championship on eight occasions, most recently out-pointing British hopeful Dereck Chisora on February 18 LIVE on BoxNation TV.