Wladimir Klitschko retires after stellar 21-year career and will NOT fight Anthony Joshua in blockbuster rematch
WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO has announced that he has retired from boxing - bringing to an end a stellar 21-year career in which he dominated the heavyweight division.
That means a potential rematch with British superstar Anthony Joshua is OFF.
The veteran star revealed he was hanging up his gloves this morning after 71 bouts and more than two decades as a pro.
The 41-year-old, who won Olympic gold at Atlanta, has spent more days as heavyweight champion than anyone else.
The Ukrainian spent 4,383 days as champion across two reigns - making a total of 23 defences.
His 18 consecutive defences in a nine year-seven month spell is the second-most of all-time, trailing only Joe Louis.
Klitschko released a statement signalling his intention to hang up his gloves.
But his website broke down under the volume of traffic, meaning the statement could not immediately be read.
Klitschko's full statement as he retires
"Twenty-seven years ago I started my journey in sport, and it was the best choice of a profession I could have ever made.
"Because of this choice, I travelled the world, learned new languages, created business, built intellectual properties, helped people in need.
"Became a scientist, entrpreneur, motivator, hotelier, trainer, investor and much else.
"I was, and I still am, capable of doing all this because of the global appeal of sport and boxing, my own talent and most importantly because of you: my loyal fans.
"At some point in our lives we need to, or just want to, switch our careers and get ourselves ready for the next chapter - a new course and fresh challenges.
"Obviously, I'm not an exception to this and now it's my turn.
"I'm honestly doing this with greatest respect for these new challenges.
"But also with tremendous excitement, passion, dedication, expecting and hoping that my next career will be at least as successful as my previous one, if not even more successful.
"Finally, instead of just saying, 'hey, thanks and goodbye', I want you to continue joining me in this new and exciting journey.
"When we're together, we're more creative, more efficient, more productive and simply stronger in every way.
"Together we're the driving force."
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Watford-star Joshua believed he would be facing Klitschko in a Las Vegas rematch later this year - with a fight pencilled in at the T-Mobile Arena for November 11.
He was even preparing to start a three-month training camp in a couple of weeks.
The IBF, WBA and WBO champ wanted the fight to be confirmed by the end of the month.
Speaking earlier this week, Joshua said: "I hope we can put a seal on it before the end of the month.
"If we fought November 11, starting August 22 is a three-month camp, so towards the end of the month, one way or the other [I’m expecting to know], because I’ve got to crack on.
"It was just fun, it was just entertaining. I’d do it again, definitely."
Kubrat Pulev is the mandatory contender for Joshua's straps, with Joshua hoping to fight Deontay Wilder next year.
Who will AJ face next?
- Kubrat Pulev - 6/4
- Luis Ortiz - 5/1
- Deontay Wilder - 7/1
- Dillian Whyte - 9/1
- Joseph Parker - 14/1
- Jarrell Miller - 25/1
- Andy Ruiz - 33/1
- Shannon Briggs - 33/1
- Tony Bellew - 50/1
- David Haye - 50/1
- Andre Ward - 100/1
After his statement was eventually released on YouTube, Klitschko said he made the "best choice" when he decided to go into boxing 27 years ago.
But, he said: "At some point in our lives we need to, or just want to, switch our careers and get ourselves ready for the next chapter - a new course and fresh challenges."
Born in March 1976 in the Soviet Union city of Semipalatinsk (modern day Semey, Kazakhstan), his father was a major general in the Soviet Air Force.
Klitschko began boxing as a teen, training in an amateur club in Warsaw, Poland, alongside older brother Vitali, who would also go on to become heavyweight world champion.
A distinguished amateur, the younger Klitschko won gold at the Junior European Championships, silver at the Junior World Championships and silver at the full European Championships in 1996.
He then boxed for Ukraine at the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, beating Tongan Paea Wolfgramm to win gold.
Klitschko turned pro with an amateur record of 134-6.
Making his camp in Germany, Klitschko fought his first pro fight in November 1996, quickly rising up the rankings.
After mounting a record of 34-1, Klitschko had his first world title fight, beating Chris Byrd in Cologne in October 2000 to win the WBO belt.
He held the crown until a March 2003 loss to South African Corrie Sanders, then lost another bout a year later to Lamon Brewster for the vacant belt.
Klitschko would not lose again for more than a decade.
He beat Byrd again for the IBF and IBO titles, then going on to make 18 consecutive defences - including impressive wins over Hasim Rahman, Samuel Peter and David Haye.
But, aged 40, the controversial, unorthodox underdog Tyson Fury would be his undoing.
The Gypsy King stunned the world in November 2015 to end Klitschko's long reign in a fight that the defeated champ admitted he'd taken for granted.
The pair were meant to meet in a rematch, but Fury struggled with drugs and depression and after numerous postponements, Fury was stripped of his titles.
Klitschko then met up-and-coming, but unproven, star Anthony Joshua in front of 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium.
It was a huge occasion for both men - Joshua wanting to prove he was worthy of a place among the best and Klitschko desperate to prove his loss to Fury was a fluke.
The two traded blows in a fight that was easily the best between heavyweights since Lennox Lewis reigned.
At points in the fight, both Joshua and Klitschko were on the brink of defeat before storming back with flurries.
Joshua then unleashed one of the best uppercuts in boxing history to end Klitschko once and - as it turns out - for all.