The Klitschko brothers excelled in boxing. Now Vitali is mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. They are now fighting together against the Russian attack ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.
Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko fight again. For years no longer in the boxing ring, but now in Kyiv – against the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital.
Vitali Klitschko – the older of the two brothers – has been mayor of the metropolis with its 2.8 million inhabitants since 2014. These days he has the difficult task of warning people about air raids and encouraging them at the same time. «The enemy wants to conquer the heart of our country. But we will fight and not give up on Kyiv,” writes the 50-year-old on the social network Telegram.
Air raid sirens are constantly blaring in Kyiv, rockets are falling, and the television tower is being attacked. On Tuesday, satellite imagery showed a massive column of tanks and other military vehicles rolling toward the city from the northeast. Meanwhile, Vitali Klitschko is publishing video messages in which he sometimes speaks in front of a map of Kiev and sometimes in front of the Ukrainian flag.
According to his own statements, his brother Wladimir, who is five years his junior and who looks almost identical to Vitali, is also in Kyiv. He also shows up in videos in camouflage uniform, he also speaks with a serious expression and tired facial features. The visually most striking distinguishing feature is that Wladimir now has a three-day beard and Vitali is clean-shaven even during the war.
similarities and differences
In these difficult times, the Klitschko brothers also benefit from their willpower, which they have trained for years in professional sport, according to experts and companions. “What the two boys are doing for their country is indescribable. As multiple millionaires, they could afford a good life anywhere, but they fight for their homeland in the war,” said Thomas Pütz, President of the Association of German Professional Boxers (BDB).
Vitali and Wladimir are very different characters, says Pütz: “Wladimir thinks a lot, weighs things up, is careful. Vitali, on the other hand, flips the switch and cannot be stopped. His unconditional will, his mental strength are outstanding. » His former coach and fatherly friend Fritz Sdunek, who died in 2014, once said about his protégé: “I know Vitali very well. When he starts something, he finishes it with 100 percent.”
Vitali was born in 1971 as the son of a Ukrainian air force colonel and a teacher in Soviet Kyrgyzstan, Vladimir in 1976 in Kazakhstan. When the two boxers were presented on the museum ship “Rickmer Rickmers” in the port of Hamburg in 1996, a murmur went through the assembled crowd of journalists. Two giants – Vitali 2.01 meters, Wladimir 1.98 meters – belonged to the Hamburger Universum boxing stable from promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl. With their knockout wins and titles, the brothers disrupted the heavyweight scene and dominated it for many years.
career of the brothers
Wladimir returned as Atlanta as the 1996 Olympic champion and had reaped the success that Vitali had originally aimed for. But the older Klitschko brother had been banned after proven anabolic abuse. Wladimir jumped in and got the gold for the family. Vitali didn’t have his younger brother’s elegant technique, agility and suppleness in the ring. But he was superior to his brother in clout. He won 45 of his 47 professional fights – and with an incredible knockout rate of 87.23 percent.
«Dr. Iron fist», as Vitali Klitschko was known because of his hardness of the punch, was WBO and later WBC world champion. He fought his biggest fight against British World Champion Lennox Lewis in June 2003. He lost in a thrilling duel by technical knockout in the sixth round – but only because the referee stopped the fight because of a heavily bleeding tear in Klitschko’s eye area.
In 2005, the doctor of sports science was unable to defend his title due to a serious injury and was named Champion Emeritus (retired World Champion). Plagued by numerous injuries and operations, he ended his career in the ring – and made his comeback in 2008. “If he’s healthy, he’s the best heavyweight,” said promoter Kohl at the time.
Even during his time as a professional athlete, Vitali dreamed of later entering Ukrainian politics. In 2010 he founded the Udar (Blow) party. After his fight against Manuel Charr in September 2012, it wasn’t long before the father of three gave up boxing. “We lost a great sportsman. But Ukraine has won a super politician,” said BDB President Pütz at the time when Klitschko said goodbye.
Today Pütz says about Klitschko: «Vitali in his office as mayor is currently a superman for me. It’s about life and death. I deeply admire his attitude and commitment. That’s way, way bigger than what he achieved in the boxing ring.”
Source: Stern
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