FORMER unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has made it clear that he has got no intention of returning to the ring.
In the last few months, Klitschko’s name was linked to a potential multi-fight deal with streaming service DAZN.
Klitschko, 43-years-old, retired back in 2017 – when he was stopped in eleven rounds by Anthony Joshua before a crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in London.
On March 31, Klitschko tweeted on social media – “Woke up this morning with fire in my belly saying, ‘I still got it!’ Y’all are on official notice.”
But then the next day he stated – “You’re on notice that I respect & love ya but … I’m not coming back. April Fools Day everyone!”
Despite the rumours of a potential comeback, Klitschko has no intention of coming back.
“I’m at peace with my decision to stop boxing and switch to another career,” Klitschko told Sun Sport.
And there is no ill feeling on his mind, to retire on the back of a stoppage loss – because that loss was regarded by most experts as one of the best performances of Klitschko’s entire career.
“I’ve never won so much when losing. I have many victories but what I learned after the fight at Wembley is more important than any success. I used to think failure wasn’t an option. Today, I know that passionate defeat is an option,” Klitschko said.
Klitschko did not retire immediately in the aftermath of his loss to Joshua.
In fact, he exercised an immediate rematch clause and scheduled to face Joshua for a second time in the fall – but a few months before the planned date, he announced his retirement.
He has since moved on to several other business ventures.
“My focus shifted to my second career. Today, my battlefields are different,” Klitschko said. – BoxingScene
