Klitschko QUITS

Hamburg, Aug 3: Two-time former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko on Thursday announced retirement from his “incredibly successful boxing career” which lasted 21 years.

“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,” the Ukrainian was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

Klitschko was also the second longest reigning heavyweight champion of all time and the second most successful title defender amongst any heavyweight boxer with 23 titles, behind Joe Louis (25) and ahead of Larry Holmes (20) and Muhammad Ali (19).

“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 professiol boxer, I have achieved everything I dreamed of, and now I want to start my second career after sports,” he said.

The Kazakhstan-born also held the World Boxing Association (Super), Intertiol Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation titles along with the Intertiol Boxing Organisation, Ring magazine, and lineal titles. He also won the gold medal in 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the super-heavyweight category. IANS

STATS IN THE RING

* Turned professiol: 1996
* Heavyweight belts won: IBF, IBO,  WBA, WBO 
* Wins: 64 , Losses: 5 , Draws: 0
* Rounds boxed: 369
* Height: 6ft 6ins.
* Reach: 206cm
* Record stadium attendance: 90,000 - The number present at Wembley Stadium on April 29, a post-war boxing record in the UK, for the Joshua fight
* Purse for Alexander Povetkin defeat in 2013: £17,628,333
* Age at retirement: 41
* Longest time between losses: 11 years - Between Lamon Brewster in 2004 and that in 2015 by Tyson Fury.
* Number of world heavyweight title  bouts: 29
* Olympic gold medals won: 1, at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. He later sold his medal for $1m, doting the proceeds to his charity, the Klitschko Foundation.