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Wladimir Klitschko, former lineal heavyweight champion, retires at 41

By Nick Tylwalk

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 29: Wladimir Klitschko makes his way to the ring prior to his fight against Anthony Joshua for the IBF, WBA and IBO Heavyweight World Title bout at Wembley Stadium on April 29, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 29: Wladimir Klitschko makes his way to the ring prior to his fight against Anthony Joshua for the IBF, WBA and IBO Heavyweight World Title bout at Wembley Stadium on April 29, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /
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The former heavyweight champion of the world leaves behind an interesting legacy from his time in the sport of boxing.

Wladimir Klitschko isn’t going out on top, the way he undoubtedly would have preferred, but at least he’s leaving boxing on a positive note.

As reported by Sports Illustrated, the former WBA, IBF, WBO, Ring magazine and lineal heavyweight champion of the world announced his retirement Thursday, abandoning any thoughts of pursuing one more title reign. The 41-year-old hangs up his gloves with a 64-5 professional record, including 53 knockout victories.

Had he remained in the sport, a rematch with Anthony Joshua, who stopped Klitschko in 11 rounds in April, would likely have been a lucrative affair. But in a statement revealing his decision, Klitschko confirmed that he had taken some time to consider his next move and was at peace with his choice.

"“I deliberately took a few weeks to make my decision, to make sure I had enough distance from the fight at Wembley Stadium. As an amateur and a professional boxer, I have achieved everything I dreamed of, and now I want to start my second career after sports. I would have never imagined that I would have such a long and incredibly successful boxing career. I’m very thankful for this. Thanks to everyone who has always supported me. Especially my family, my team and my many fans.”"

While his KOs would suggest that Klitschko was an action fighter, that was anything but the case for long stretches of his career. In fact, boxing fans often grew tired of his dominance based on his size — at 6-foot-6, he was often simply too big for overmatched opponents — and cerebral style.

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Losses to the likes of Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster also proved frustrating. But Klitschko went undefeated between October 2004 and November 2015 with a string of 22 straight victories. He and brother Vitali, also a heavyweight champion, sat atop the division nearly untouched for years.

And Klitschko’s last fight proved to be wildly and surprisingly entertaining, with “Dr. Steelhammer” getting off the mat in the fifth round and sending Joshua to the canvas for the first time in his career a round later. If that’s the last memory boxing fans worldwide have of him, it’s not a bad one at all, cementing the idea that he had the heart of a champion as well as the pedigree.

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