Vitali Klitschko

Who is Vitali Klitschko?

Vitali Volodymyrovych Klitschko is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer. He is the leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform and a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament. He is the former WBC, WBO and Ring Magazine heavyweight champion and has been conferred as Champion Emeritus by the WBC. Klitschko became actively involved in Ukrainian politics in 2005 and combined this with his professional boxing career till his departure from boxing mid-December 2013. He has stated that he is not officially retired, and will not rule out a return in the future. Klitschko was the first professional boxing world champion to hold a PhD degree.

Klitschko was known for his powerful punches and durable chin. With an 87.23% knockout percentage rate, he holds the second best knockout-to-fight ratio of any champion in heavyweight boxing history, after Rocky Marciano's 87.76% and is the 8th longest reigning heavyweight champion of all time. He has never been knocked down in any professional boxing bout. His two losses have come via a shoulder injury during a fight and a deep cut above his eye, which were recorded as TKO losses. In both fights, however, he was leading on the scorecards. His power and his possession of a doctorate have led to his nickname, Dr. Ironfist.