Rather than activate the rematch clause in his contract for a second fight with current World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation champion Anthony Joshua, Wladimir Klitschko, the man nicknamed Dr. Steelhammer due to his punishing right hand and the fact that he has a PhD, has decided to hang up his gloves and call it a career. In doing so, Wladimir brings the “Klitschko Era” of heavyweight dominance to an end (he and his older brother Vitali have dominated the division since 2006, winning and unifying the various heavyweight belts and titles by knocking out the competition at a high rate). Among the many records that Wladimir holds for the heavyweight division are his 29 title fights, which is two more than Joe Louis fought and his 25 victories in those bouts are the second most behind Louis’ 26 such wins, similarly his 23 consecutive title defenses is also just behind Louis in the boxing record book. A final achievement in which Wladimir is only second to Mr. Louis in his length of tenure as heavyweight champion at 9 years 7 months and 7 days.
Other notable statistics from the younger Klitschko’s boxing career include his impressive knockout percentage, with 53 of his 64 wins ending by either knockout or technical knockout of his opposition. Whether or not he decides to follow his brother’s footsteps into Ukranian politics, where his brother now stands as a prominent pro European Union politician as the Mayor of Kiev, is unknown but with his retirement he ensures that a promise both brothers made to their mother remains in tact; that the two never square off against each other. With his Ph.D. in Sports Science, it is possible that Dr. Steelhammer remains a part of the boxing scene although instead of dishing out the beatings personally, helping to figure out more academic aspects of the sweet science.
