Wladimir Klitschko (born 25 March 1976 in Semipalatinsk) is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2017. Per Wikipedia, he held multiple heavyweight world championships between 2000 and 2015, including unified titles between 2008 and 2015, and also held the IBO and The Ring titles. He is considered by some to be one of the greatest heavyweight champions ever.
Klitschko won Olympic super-heavyweight gold in 1996, first won the WBO heavyweight title from Chris Byrd in 2000, rebuilt after losses to Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster under Emanuel Steward, and from 2004 to 2015 dominated the division with his brother Vitali in the 'Klitschko Era'. He holds the record for the longest time as world heavyweight champion, at 4,382 days, per Wikipedia.
BoxRec-style profile
- Birth name: Wladimir Klitschko
- Born: March 25, 1976 — Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
- Nationality: Ukrainian
- Height: 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
- Reach: 81 in (206 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Pro debut: 16 Nov 1996 (Win by KO vs Fabian Meza)
- Last bout: 29 Apr 2017 (Loss by TKO vs Anthony Joshua)
- Total rounds boxed: 370 (summed from the bout table below)
- Divisions: Heavyweight
- KO percentage: 82.8% (53 KO wins in 64 wins)
- Titles held (major, with reign dates): Per Wikipedia lead: held multiple heavyweight world championships between 2000 and 2015, including unified titles between 2008 and 2015, plus the IBO and The Ring heavyweight titles during that time; first WBO title won October 14, 2000 from Chris Byrd; IBF and IBO regained April 22, 2006 from Byrd; second WBO title February 23, 2008 from Sultan Ibragimov; The Ring title 2009 (Ruslan Chagaev); WBA title July 2, 2011 from David Haye; reign ended November 28, 2015 against Tyson Fury per the bout table
- Trainer: Emanuel Steward (hired in 2004; partnership lasted until Steward's death in 2012, per the fetched article)
- Born: March 25, 1976 — Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
- Nationality: Ukrainian
- Height: 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
- Reach: 81 in (206 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Divisions: Heavyweight
Record at a glance
- Total bouts: 69
- Wins: 64
- Wins by KO: 53
- Losses: 5
- Losses by KO: 4
- Draws: 0
- No contests: 0
- Born: March 25, 1976 — Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
- Nationality: Ukrainian
- Height: 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
- Reach: 81 in (206 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Divisions: Heavyweight
Fight-by-fight record
| No. | Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round/Time | Venue / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 Nov 1996 | Fabian Meza | Win | KO | 1 (4), 1:35 | Sporthalle Wandsbek, Hamburg, Germany |
| 2 | 30 Nov 1996 | Exum Speight | Win | TKO | 2 (4), 1:54 | Arena Nova, Wiener Neustadt, Austria |
| 3 | 21 Dec 1996 | Bill Corrigan | Win | TKO | 1 (4), 1:21 | Zoological Garden, Frankfurt, Germany |
| 4 | 25 Jan 1997 | Troy Weida | Win | TKO | 3 (6), 0:36 | Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Germany |
| 5 | 15 Feb 1997 | Carlos Monroe | Win | DQ | 6 (6), 0:34 | Stadthalle, Cottbus, Germany — Monroe disqualified for a headbutt |
| 6 | 12 Apr 1997 | Mark Young | Win | RTD | 2 (6), 3:00 | Eurogress, Aachen, Germany |
| 7 | 10 May 1997 | Mark Wills | Win | KO | 1 (8), 2:58 | Ballsporthalle, Frankfurt, Germany |
| 8 | 13 Jun 1997 | Paul Ashley | Win | KO | 2 (8), 1:25 | Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen, Germany |
| 9 | 27 Jun 1997 | Salvador Maciel | Win | KO | 1 (8) | Oberrheinhalle, Offenburg, Germany |
| 10 | 12 Jul 1997 | Gilberto Williamson | Win | TKO | 3 (8) | Berlet-Halle, Hagen, Germany |
| 11 | 23 Aug 1997 | Biko Botowamungu | Win | DQ | 5 (6), 0:02 | Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Germany — Botowamungu disqualified after his cornermen refused to leave the ring |
| 12 | 20 Sep 1997 | James Pritchard | Win | TKO | 3 (8) | Tivoli Eissporthalle, Aachen, Germany |
| 13 | 11 Oct 1997 | Marcos González | Win | KO | 2 (8) | Stadthalle, Cottbus, Germany |
| 14 | 6 Dec 1997 | Jerry Halstead | Win | TKO | 2 (8) | Stadthalle, Offenbach am Main, Germany |
| 15 | 13 Dec 1997 | Ladislav Husarik | Win | TKO | 3 (8) | Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany |
| 16 | 20 Dec 1997 | Derrick Lampkins | Win | TKO | 1 (8) | Oberrheinhalle, Offenburg, Germany |
| 17 | 14 Feb 1998 | Marcus McIntyre | Win | KO | 3 (12) | Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Germany — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBC International heavyweight title |
| 18 | 13 Mar 1998 | Everett Martin | Win | UD | 8 | Sporthalle Wandsbek, Hamburg, Germany |
| 19 | 23 May 1998 | Cody Koch | Win | KO | 4 (12) | Oberrheinhalle, Offenburg, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC International heavyweight title |
| 20 | 10 Jul 1998 | Najee Shaheed | Win | KO | 1 (12) | Circus Krone Building, Munich, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC International heavyweight title |
| 21 | 6 Aug 1998 | Carlos Monroe | Win | TKO | 6 (10), 2:28 | Grand Casino Avoyelles, Marksville, Louisiana, US |
| 22 | 19 Sep 1998 | Steve Pannell | Win | KO | 2 (10) | Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen, Germany |
| 23 | 3 Oct 1998 | Eli Dixon | Win | KO | 3 (10), 2:26 | Prinz-Garden Halle, Augsburg, Germany |
| 24 | 14 Nov 1998 | Donnell Wingfield | Win | KO | 1 (8) | Circus Krone Building, Munich, Germany |
| 25 | 5 Dec 1998 | Ross Puritty | Loss | TKO | 11 (12), 0:18 | Palace of Sports, Kyiv, Ukraine — ★ Title fight — Lost WBC International heavyweight title |
| 26 | 13 Feb 1999 | Zoran Vujicic | Win | KO | 1 (8), 1:02 | Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Germany |
| 27 | 24 Apr 1999 | Everett Martin | Win | TKO | 8 (8) | Circus Krone Building, Munich, Germany |
| 28 | 22 May 1999 | Tony LaRosa | Win | TKO | 1 (10), 2:57 | Sport Palace, Budapest, Hungary |
| 29 | 17 Jul 1999 | Joseph Chingangu | Win | RTD | 4 (12), 3:00 | Philips Halle, Düsseldorf, Germany — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 30 | 25 Sep 1999 | Axel Schulz | Win | TKO | 8 (12), 2:42 | Kölnarena, Cologne, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title; Won vacant European heavyweight title |
| 31 | 12 Nov 1999 | Phil Jackson | Win | KO | 2 (8), 1:59 | The Orleans, Paradise, Nevada, US |
| 32 | 4 Dec 1999 | Lajos Eros | Win | KO | 2 (12), 2:35 | Stadionsporthalle, Hanover, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA Inter-Continental and European heavyweight titles |
| 33 | 18 Mar 2000 | Paea Wolfgramm | Win | KO | 1 (12), 1:30 | Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBC International heavyweight title |
| 34 | 29 Apr 2000 | David Bostice | Win | TKO | 2 (12), 1:27 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 35 | 15 Jul 2000 | Monte Barrett | Win | TKO | 7 (10), 2:40 | London Arena, London, England |
| 36 | 14 Oct 2000 | Chris Byrd | Win | UD | 12 | Kölnarena, Cologne, Germany — ★ Title fight — Won WBO heavyweight title |
| 37 | 24 Mar 2001 | Derrick Jefferson | Win | TKO | 2 (12), 2:09 | Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle, Munich, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO heavyweight title |
| 38 | 4 Aug 2001 | Charles Shufford | Win | TKO | 6 (12), 2:55 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO heavyweight title |
| 39 | 16 Mar 2002 | Francois Botha | Win | TKO | 8 (12), 0:47 | Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO heavyweight title |
| 40 | 29 Jun 2002 | Ray Mercer | Win | TKO | 6 (12), 1:08 | Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO heavyweight title |
| 41 | 7 Dec 2002 | Jameel McCline | Win | RTD | 10 (12), 3:00 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO heavyweight title |
| 42 | 8 Mar 2003 | Corrie Sanders | Loss | TKO | 2 (12), 0:27 | Preussag Arena, Hanover, Germany — ★ Title fight — Lost WBO heavyweight title |
| 43 | 30 Aug 2003 | Fabio Eduardo Moli | Win | KO | 1 (12), 1:49 | Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 44 | 20 Dec 2003 | Danell Nicholson | Win | TKO | 4 (12), 1:44 | Ostseehalle, Kiel, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title |
| 45 | 10 Apr 2004 | Lamon Brewster | Loss | TKO | 5 (12), 3:00 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, US — ★ Title fight — For vacant WBO heavyweight title |
| 46 | 2 Oct 2004 | DaVarryl Williamson | Win | TD | 5 (10), 3:00 | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, US — Split TD: Klitschko cut from an accidental head clash |
| 47 | 23 Apr 2005 | Eliseo Castillo | Win | TKO | 4 (10), 2:51 | Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, Germany |
| 48 | 24 Sep 2005 | Samuel Peter | Win | UD | 12 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US — ★ Title fight — Won NABF and vacant NABO heavyweight titles |
| 49 | 22 Apr 2006 | Chris Byrd | Win | TKO | 7 (12), 0:41 | SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany — ★ Title fight — Won IBF and vacant IBO heavyweight titles |
| 50 | 11 Nov 2006 | Calvin Brock | Win | TKO | 7 (12), 2:10 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF and IBO heavyweight titles |
| 51 | 10 Mar 2007 | Ray Austin | Win | KO | 2 (12), 1:23 | SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF and IBO heavyweight titles |
| 52 | 7 Jul 2007 | Lamon Brewster | Win | RTD | 6 (12), 3:00 | Kölnarena, Cologne, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF and IBO heavyweight titles |
| 53 | 23 Feb 2008 | Sultan Ibragimov | Win | UD | 12 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF and IBO heavyweight titles; Won WBO heavyweight title |
| 54 | 12 Jul 2008 | Tony Thompson | Win | KO | 11 (12), 1:38 | Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles |
| 55 | 13 Dec 2008 | Hasim Rahman | Win | TKO | 7 (12), 0:44 | SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles |
| 56 | 20 Jun 2009 | Ruslan Chagaev | Win | RTD | 9 (12), 3:00 | Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles; Won vacant The Ring heavyweight title |
| 57 | 20 Mar 2010 | Eddie Chambers | Win | KO | 12 (12), 2:55 | Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 58 | 11 Sep 2010 | Samuel Peter | Win | KO | 10 (12), 1:22 | Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 59 | 2 Jul 2011 | David Haye | Win | UD | 12 | Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles; Won WBA (Unified) heavyweight title |
| 60 | 3 Mar 2012 | Jean-Marc Mormeck | Win | KO | 4 (12), 1:12 | Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 61 | 7 Jul 2012 | Tony Thompson | Win | TKO | 6 (12), 1:12 | Stade de Suisse, Bern, Switzerland — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 62 | 10 Nov 2012 | Mariusz Wach | Win | UD | 12 | O2 World, Hamburg, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 63 | 4 May 2013 | Francesco Pianeta | Win | TKO | 6 (12), 2:52 | SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 64 | 5 Oct 2013 | Alexander Povetkin | Win | UD | 12 | Olympic Stadium, Moscow, Russia — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 65 | 26 Apr 2014 | Alex Leapai | Win | TKO | 5 (12), 2:05 | König Pilsener Arena, Oberhausen, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 66 | 15 Nov 2014 | Kubrat Pulev | Win | KO | 5 (12), 2:11 | O2 World, Hamburg, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 67 | 25 Apr 2015 | Bryant Jennings | Win | UD | 12 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US — ★ Title fight — Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 68 | 28 Nov 2015 | Tyson Fury | Loss | UD | 12 | Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany — ★ Title fight — Lost WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 69 | 29 Apr 2017 | Anthony Joshua | Loss | TKO | 11 (12), 2:25 | Wembley Stadium, London, England — ★ Title fight — For IBF, vacant WBA (Super) and IBO heavyweight titles |
Titles & notes
Major title reigns (start–end): Per Wikipedia lead: held multiple heavyweight world championships between 2000 and 2015, including unified titles between 2008 and 2015, plus the IBO and The Ring heavyweight titles during that time; first WBO title won October 14, 2000 from Chris Byrd; IBF and IBO regained April 22, 2006 from Byrd; second WBO title February 23, 2008 from Sultan Ibragimov; The Ring title 2009 (Ruslan Chagaev); WBA title July 2, 2011 from David Haye; reign ended November 28, 2015 against Tyson Fury per the bout table
- 14 Feb 1998 vs Marcus McIntyre: Won vacant WBC International heavyweight title
- 23 May 1998 vs Cody Koch: Retained WBC International heavyweight title
- 10 Jul 1998 vs Najee Shaheed: Retained WBC International heavyweight title
- 5 Dec 1998 vs Ross Puritty: Lost WBC International heavyweight title
- 17 Jul 1999 vs Joseph Chingangu: Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
- 25 Sep 1999 vs Axel Schulz: Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title; Won vacant European heavyweight title
- 4 Dec 1999 vs Lajos Eros: Retained WBA Inter-Continental and European heavyweight titles
- 18 Mar 2000 vs Paea Wolfgramm: Won vacant WBC International heavyweight title
- 29 Apr 2000 vs David Bostice: Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
- 14 Oct 2000 vs Chris Byrd: Won WBO heavyweight title
- 24 Mar 2001 vs Derrick Jefferson: Retained WBO heavyweight title
- 4 Aug 2001 vs Charles Shufford: Retained WBO heavyweight title
- 16 Mar 2002 vs Francois Botha: Retained WBO heavyweight title
- 29 Jun 2002 vs Ray Mercer: Retained WBO heavyweight title
- 7 Dec 2002 vs Jameel McCline: Retained WBO heavyweight title
- 8 Mar 2003 vs Corrie Sanders: Lost WBO heavyweight title
- 30 Aug 2003 vs Fabio Eduardo Moli: Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
- 20 Dec 2003 vs Danell Nicholson: Retained WBA Inter-Continental heavyweight title
- 10 Apr 2004 vs Lamon Brewster: For vacant WBO heavyweight title
- 24 Sep 2005 vs Samuel Peter: Won NABF and vacant NABO heavyweight titles
- 22 Apr 2006 vs Chris Byrd: Won IBF and vacant IBO heavyweight titles
- 11 Nov 2006 vs Calvin Brock: Retained IBF and IBO heavyweight titles
- 10 Mar 2007 vs Ray Austin: Retained IBF and IBO heavyweight titles
- 7 Jul 2007 vs Lamon Brewster: Retained IBF and IBO heavyweight titles
- 23 Feb 2008 vs Sultan Ibragimov: Retained IBF and IBO heavyweight titles; Won WBO heavyweight title
- 12 Jul 2008 vs Tony Thompson: Retained IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles
- 13 Dec 2008 vs Hasim Rahman: Retained IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles
- 20 Jun 2009 vs Ruslan Chagaev: Retained IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles; Won vacant The Ring heavyweight title
- 20 Mar 2010 vs Eddie Chambers: Retained IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 11 Sep 2010 vs Samuel Peter: Retained IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 2 Jul 2011 vs David Haye: Retained IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles; Won WBA (Unified) heavyweight title
- 3 Mar 2012 vs Jean-Marc Mormeck: Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 7 Jul 2012 vs Tony Thompson: Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 10 Nov 2012 vs Mariusz Wach: Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 4 May 2013 vs Francesco Pianeta: Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 5 Oct 2013 vs Alexander Povetkin: Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 26 Apr 2014 vs Alex Leapai: Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 15 Nov 2014 vs Kubrat Pulev: Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 25 Apr 2015 vs Bryant Jennings: Retained WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 28 Nov 2015 vs Tyson Fury: Lost WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
- 29 Apr 2017 vs Anthony Joshua: For IBF, vacant WBA (Super) and IBO heavyweight titles
Photo: MSC/Kuhlmann via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0 de). Featured image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Volodymyr_Klychko_%28Vladimir_Klitschko%29_of_Ukraine_at_the_59th_Munich_Security_Conference_in_Munich_on_17_February_2023_-_%28cropped%29.jpg
Record source: Wikipedia professional boxing record table (cross-checked against the bout list), retrieved 2026-10-28.
