In the Moscow sports complex "Olympic" on the night from Saturday to Sunday, an event took place, which experts and boxing fans, without exaggeration, called. In an irreconcilable and extremely principled fight, two famous heavyweight boxers met: Ukrainian Vladimir Klitschko and Russian Alexander Povetkin.

At stake in this boxing match, which brought together about 14 thousand spectators in the stands and millions of fans on TV screens in dozens of countries around the world, were championship belts in four prestigious versions WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF. Russian Knight made a daring attempt to take them away from the youngest of the famous Klitschko brothers, and also defended the title of regular WBA world heavyweight champion.

Wladimir Klitschko entered the fight against Alexander Povetkin to the song Can't Stop by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, although Dr. Steel Hammer will enter the ring to the song with the symbolic name "Brother for Brother" by the Ukrainian rock band Kozak System.

Both boxers are Olympic champions. Wladimir Klitschko celebrating victory in weight category over 91 kg at the Atlanta Games in 1996. And eight years later, in 2004, Alexander Povetkin took gold in Athens.

The duel in Moscow, in which the bookmakers gave the victory to the 37-year-old Ukrainian, lasted all 12 rounds and ended with a raised hand of Vladimir Klitschko he won on points by unanimous decision of the judges. It is worth noting that already in the first round Povetkin was on the floor for a moment.

Thus, Wladimir Klitschko had 64 fights in the professional ring, having already won 61 victories (51 of them by knockout), not losing for more than nine years. World champion and European champion Alexander Povetkin in the “professionals” before meeting with the formidable Ukrainian did not know the bitterness of defeat. The native of Kursk now has 26 wins and one loss in 27 fights, 18 of which were won by knockout.

On the evening of April 29, the world boxing community has witnessed in recent years, and representatives of the heavyweight division fought in it - the most prestigious category, although it has lost its charm.

Wladimir Klitschko, who had not boxed for a year and a half after losing to Tyson Fury in November 2015, carefully prepared his return to the ring, and his opponent was the world champion, still young by boxing standards. International Federation boxing (IBF) 27-year-old Anthony Joshua, whom the Ukrainian calls his successor. On Saturday evening in the Wembley Stadium ring, two eras converged, two Olympic champions of different generations - and youth turned out to be stronger than experience.

After a little reconnaissance, closer to the middle, the fight reached its first peak: first, in the fifth round, Joshua knocked down his opponent, but even before the end of the round he let go of the reins and allowed Klitschko to return to the fight. This resulted in the fact that later the Ukrainian sent the champion to a much deeper knockdown. At that moment, perhaps, only the most devoted fans of the Briton believed in his victory.

In the second half of the fight, Klitschko began to give up physically, and Joshua, having waited out the wave of the Ukrainian, was preparing his decisive attack. In the penultimate round, he sent the challenger to the floor twice. Klitschko has already been in a similar situation: in 2005, in a fight with Nigerian Samuel Peter, he was knocked down three times, but managed to win. However, 12 years have passed since then, and then Klitschko was a little older than Joshua is today. Now the 41-year-old Ukrainian did not have enough strength to resist - at the end of the 11th round, the referee stopped the meeting and awarded the victory to Anthony.

After the fight, the 27-year-old Briton expressed his respect for the opponent. “I’m not perfect, but I work on myself and try to be better. You can be a phenomenal boxer, but you need to remember that boxing is also about character. I proved that I have it. After the knockdown, I fought with my heart. Only in such battles do you find out what you are really worth. I don’t know if Klitschko will demand a rematch, but in any case, I express my gratitude to him for this fight. Vladimir remains an example to follow, ”said the world champion.

Klitschko himself is also not sure that the revenge will take place. “Anthony looked better than me. I'm upset that I didn't manage to win, I expected to perform better. Of course, I wanted my hand to be raised after the fight, but he got up after the knockdown, returned to the fight and won the titles. In the contract, we have the possibility of revenge. But first I need to analyze what happened,” the applicant said.

Famous people who decided to spend Saturday night at a boxing match in London did not remain indifferent. Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger admires both athletes and hopes that the boxers will meet again in the ring. “It was one of the most exciting fights I have ever seen. Congratulations to Joshua on his victory, and to Klitschko on a great fight. I hope to see a revenge, ”Schwarzenegger wrote on his Twitter.

The former absolute world champion Lennox Lewis, who once defeated Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir's brother, was also impressed by what he saw. “What a fight! Congratulations to both of you, you gave the fans a fight that will be talked about. It was everything a boxing fan could dream of: gentlemanly demeanor, high drama, hardship, perseverance and respect. A big step forward for Joshua! Big win! And how much courage Klitschko showed in this fight! My respect. Keep your nose up, brother!" Lewis wrote on his Twitter.

Supported by the former champion and President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. “We are with you, Vladimir! Thank you for the fight,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on Twitter.

The head of the promotional company "World of Boxing" Andrei Ryabinsky stated the end of the era of Klitschko, who had not known his equal in heavyweight for more than ten years. “The Klitschko era is over. They are great boxers. Without any doubt. So many years to dominate this weight! Now something new is waiting for us, apparently, ”wrote Ryabinsky on Twitter.

Even people far from boxing admire the battle between the British and the Ukrainian. The 2000 Olympic tennis champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov compared the Briton with the most popular football players on the planet - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “Anthony Joshua is Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rolled into one in boxing,” Kafelnikov said.

What will happen next with the main characters of the last hours? The question of Klitschko's career is still open. But no less interesting is Joshua's path. The Briton had the longest fight in his career (before that he had not boxed for more than seven rounds), with honor he got out of a difficult situation and again finished the fight ahead of schedule. No opponent of the 27-year-old Briton has ever managed to box with him all 12 rounds.

A rematch with Klitschko would be a beautiful continuation of Joshua's story, but there are two most likely outcomes: a unification fight with World Boxing Council (WBC) world champion Deontay Wilder and a fight with boxing's main wit, Tyson Fury.

Wilder was present at the fight with Joshua and even he is not averse to boxing with Anthony. “It's time to reveal the absolute world champion. I want to do what I planned and unify all the titles. Therefore, at the end of the year we are waiting for a big fight! The winner will take all the belts and will be considered the best heavyweight in the world, ”said the American.

As for Fury, he continues to do what he is good at - sniping at rivals. “Good job, Anthony Joshua. You and Klitschko had a life-and-death fight. I just played with him. Shall we dance?" — wrote the Briton in his Twitter.

The IBF world champion has hinted that he is ready to fight with a compatriot. “What would you like to see? I love having fights. Tyson Fury talks a lot and wants to return to boxing. I want 90,000 people to see another great fight. But I'm ready to fight anyone. I just enjoy boxing,” Joshua said after his victory over Klitschko, addressing the audience.

The Viking invasion from Poland to German soil began at 23:50 Moscow time. At this time, a boxing evening began in Germany. Less and less time until the main fight.

How many belts do you think there are between Germany and Poland? Any other day you can answer - none, but not today. These two countries are in the same time zone, but in boxing they are separated by as many as five tonight. Wladimir Klitschko defends his titles against Mariusz Wach. A quarter of a ton of live heavyweight in the ring, the threat of the first defeat in a Pole's career, the threat of the most sensational loss for a Ukrainian - all this today in Hamburg and in every line of the text broadcast of "Sovetskysport".

The judges give the victory to Wladimir Klitschko - 120-107, 120-107, 119-109.

Wah-man is still very much ahead of Wah-boxer. The tongue will not turn to reproach the Pole for anything, except for boxing itself. Wah, unfortunately, did not demonstrate it, but even without blows he managed to surprise those gathered in Hamburg. These Klitschko blows would have been enough for a legion of Mormecks and several Thompson wagons, but it turned out to be not enough for Wach. When Mariusz gets tougher with his punches, sets up defense and becomes a little more experienced, he will give a great fight, no one knows, but it doesn't matter. Today he proved that this fight is worth waiting for from him. It's almost a feat to finish the fight with Wladimir Klitschko on your feet.

The victory of Wladimir Klitschko raises no questions. Poles can only give the fifth round.

Round 12 At the beginning of the round, Vladimir delivered several powerful blows. There was an opportunity to end the fight ahead of schedule. But Wah took a breath and leaned on Klitschko and made him fall. It was quite possible to give a warning, not for the first time Vakh acted in a similar way. The battle continued and Vakh survived to the end.

Round 11 The Pole’s legs are already wadded and it’s like weights are tied to them, but he continues to “beat Klitschko’s fists with his face.” Tem at the beginning of the round was taller, but both fighters were tired. Can't keep up the pace.

Round 10 The Pole has an armored skull, and Vladimir seems to have come to terms with this, starting to simply take round after round. Klitschko began to work a little calmer, not letting his opponent out of sight, but making shots a little less often.

Round 9 Wah continues to stay on his feet, despite Klitschko's blows, and even without seeing them. Vladimir slows down, but still confidently takes the round, especially since the opponent has already stopped answering.

Round 8 Wah misses brutal blows. With difficulty, the Pole stands, he is already falling over. It feels like Vladimir didn't miss a single blow. Wah still holds his own in the ring against all the laws of gravity and physics.

Round 7 The fifth round was for Wach. In it, he delivered a good blow to the head of Klitschko, but the sixth and seventh rounds did not give an answer, how did he manage it. Klitschko once again showed that he is completely superior to the opponent. The Pole barely survived. Waha's wide jaw is easy to hit, but hard to knock out.

Round 6 And now Klitschko turned on and planted two dozen jabs in the opponent's face, ending the round with a dangerous hit from the right.

Round 5 Uhhh! This is how Mariusz Wach gave the ending: Klitschko misses in the last 15 seconds, the Pole presses him to the ropes and delivers a series of blows, Klitschko does not look shocked, but the gong is clearly for the Ukrainian, and the round is for the Pole.

Round 4. Klitschko's double strikes are very dangerous for the Pole. A blow from the right is the main weapon of the Ukrainian. Knowing this Wah closes every time Vladimir throws a left jab.

Round 3. Vladimir demonstrates his entire class. Klitschko acts quickly, gracefully, powerfully. Wah, like Nikolai Valuev, is proof that being born big does not mean becoming a great boxer. But definitely in the third round the Pole looked better than in the first two. And yet, all the rounds are still for the Ukrainian.

Round 2 Wah demonstrates some wrestling techniques, but so far he cannot impose it according to the rules of boxing. And yet, the Pole hit quite well several times and even got Vladimir with a right cross.

Round 1 Wah looks disgusting in the first round: Swiss cheese in defense and doom during attacking actions. Klitschko does not need intelligence at all and attacks very powerfully, hitting the target with both hands.

02:15. Wah above Klitschko, we remind you.

02:13. Here we go!

02:12 . The commentator recalled that Wah is taller than Klitschko, Stallone hit the camera lens, Michael Buffer gradually starts to wind up - less than five minutes before the start of the fight.

02:09. The national anthem of Poland, they show Mariusz Wach, and, you know, he does not yet look like a person who is destined to do the impossible in the next hour.

02:07. And now the appearance of Wladimir Klitschko, who is mentored by Sylvester Stallone from the big TV screen.

02:05. And now Waha has been announced, and he is going into the ring.

02:03. Michael Buffer announced... Sylvester Stallone, the famous actor gladly stepped into the ring.

02:00. We were shown some interesting production, referring to the movie "Rocky", for sure, people living east of the Moscow time zone are very happy.

01:55. Preparations for the main battle of the evening begin.

01:50. Arrived from Germany.

01:40. While the main event of the evening (night, morning, day) is being prepared, we suggest recalling everything that happened the day before.

Volodymyr and Mariusz recently measured their looks.

Before that, there was a weigh-in of boxers. Klitschko - 112 kg, Wah - 113.8 kg

01:35. You still have to wait until the main battle of the evening. Therefore, in Russia-2 they decided to show another undercard fight - Tony Harrison - Daniel Urbanski. In a six-round fight, the American won.

01:30. So, the decision of the judges is a draw. In the last rounds, Yatskevich snatched this result.

01:25. In the last rounds, Yatskevich was much stronger than the Englishman. But Godding's advantage was too great in the previous rounds, and the Pole clearly lacked the strength to make a decisive attack.

01:12. Godding is looking better, as are his stats before this fight. 18 matches and 18 wins. Although only three of them were knockouts, so get ready to see all the rounds of the fight. Yatskevich has 42 wins (21 by knockout) and 10 losses (by knockout).

01:10. The 5th round of the duel between Godding and Yatskevich ended in the ring. The latter disguised his hand with tattoos and now it merges with the shorts. But this still does not help the Pole.

No, this is not Vladimir's last fight. The brothers signed a contract with television for four more fights, in addition to this fight.

00:52. In open training, the Polish boxer followed in the footsteps of David Haye. Vakh simply "beat" Volodymyr, not himself, only photographs of a Ukrainian.

It should be noted that the Pole acted much more humane than the British. He did not "cut off" the opponent's head.

00:50. Commentator and expert of the German channel RTL Tobias Drews shared his expectations from the fight: “Who will win? I think Klitschko will knock out Wach in the 10th round. I think Wah will be cautious until about the fourth round, then he will go forward. For these rounds, the odds are 2.55.

00:45. Note that all the bookmakers on the eve of the main fight of the evening unconditionally believed in the victory of the Ukrainian boxer. William Hill and Unibet accepted bets on Klitschko with odds of 1.03, while Bet-a-Home took -1.01 at all.

Now something has changed and there is less faith in Ukrainians. William Hill - 1.08, Unibet -1.07, and Bet-a-Home -1.10.

In parallel, the chances of Wach increased. If the day before the fight the rates were 1 to 12. Now the average is 1 to 6.5. That is, in fact, the chances have doubled.

00:42. Of course, they can show us some more fight, but we would not want to, we are waiting for Wladimir Klitschko and his opponent. The best joke that comes to mind is "Given Vladimir's style, Mariusz Wach and I will have the same chance of falling asleep tonight." And we will be shown the duel between Rafael Yatskevich and Rick Godding.

00:39. Rakhim Chakhkiev wins by unanimous decision of the judges.

Round 10 Well, Taylor has a very strong head, but to win this fight he will need referees like the ones that officiated Hook's fight with Arslan. We are waiting for a solution that seems obvious.

Round 9 Taylor gestures that Chakhkiev's punches are not doing him any harm and encourages the Russian to keep trying. Raheem explodes in response with a large number of series and confidently takes the round.

Round 8 Chakhkiev asked for a stop, but Taylor continued to attack - the referee took a point from the American, and Chakhkiev got another cut, stronger than the previous one. Half a minute before the end, Rakhim hit well, but again he could not turn the advantage into an early end to the fight.

Round 7 Chakhkiev slowed down a bit and immediately almost paid for it. Twice in a round, the American hits very well and seems to bring the intrigue back into the fight.

Round 6 Rakhim hits well again, but he can't finish it yet - the American has a strong head, and he holds his hands well, constantly overlapping.

Round 5 Nothing new: Chakhkiev presses, backs off and the American gets it. It seems that Raheem is guaranteed to take half the rounds.

Round 4 Again we see attacks only from Chakhkiev and he hits with several single blows, Taylor is still firmly on his feet, but with each round with such a development of the battle, it will be more difficult for him to do it.

Round 3 With a series of three direct blows, Chakhkiev again forces the opponent to go into the defensive, which, it should be noted, Taylor succeeds thanks to the clinch. Chakhkiev works as the first number and almost constantly goes forward, while the opponent is trying to catch Rakhim in the oncoming movement and constantly enters the clinch.

Round 2 Taylor dives low and constantly tries to throw out the side on the rise of the hull. In the middle of the round, Chakhkiev was examined by a doctor because of a small cut - nothing serious. Taylor regularly uses the clinch to stop Chakhkiev.

Round 1 The boxers started with reconnaissance with single accented blows and by the middle of the round Rakhim gets Taylor, but the opponent managed to cling to the Russian and recover. Chakhkiev unequivocally takes the round - towards the end, Taylor got more.

23:53. The broadcast began on "Russia 2" and already in the ring Rakhim Chakhkiev, along with his rival.

23:38. Marius Wach but had to suffer six rounds with another representative of the United States Tye Fieldsom. But the fight also ended in a knockout.

23:35. Recall that in the last match Vladimir Klichko defeated the American Tony Thompson, knocking him out in the first round.

23:22. And we also have a lot of text from Germany, but so far the best thing was the comments of the promoter Wach and Vitali Klitschko, if you read them one by one:

Vitaliy Klichko: I am sure that Vladimir, as an experienced and cunning fox, will outplay the Pole in the ring and defeat him.

Mariusz Kolgey: The Vikings invaded Hamburg many years ago. History repeats itself. In 2012 the Vikings are here again. Mariusz is a Viking from Poland.

So there are no problems with poetry, and now to the harsh prose:

David Ejibiya in time for several fights, where everyone seemed to know the result in advance.

Alexander Levit about the size and their meaning, it would be nice after the battle to talk about the exchanges and their meaning.

Sylvester Stallone is flying from Germany, who is not even sure of Rocky if he has to fight Klitschko.

And also Alexander Levit with Rakhim Chakhkiev

23:09. Before Vladimir's fight, it makes sense to take a break from preparing food for yourself, not only because it will not be required, but also to cheer for Rakhim Chakhkiev, who will enter the ring against Andres Taylor.

Rakhim Chakhkiev.

Height:183 cm

Weight: 91 kg

Record: 15-0

Andres Taylor.

Height:183 cm

Record: 21-2

23:00. A little about the main heroes of the occasion. The 32-year-old Polish boxer has not suffered a single defeat in the professional ring, winning 15 of his 27 victories by knockout. For Wach, this will be the first title fight in his career.

36-year-old Klitschko will once again defend his championship belts. Recall that in the previous fight, Klitschko won a confident early victory in the sixth round over the American Tony Thompson. Note that this will be the first fight for the Ukrainian boxer after the death of his coach Emmanuel Steward.

Vladimir Klichko.

Height:198 cm

Weight: 112 kg

Record: 58-3

Words: Every second, every moment, I will try to win ahead of schedule. A knockout is the best thing a boxer can do in the ring.

Marius Wach.

Height:202 cm

Weight: 113.8 kg

Record: 27-0

Words: I am 120 percent sure that I will enter the ring in order to win,” Vakh said in an interview with RTL television. - If there was only 90 percent certainty, you would not have seen me in Hamburg.

What kind of boxer will we remember the outstanding athlete who announced his retirement.

Ukrainian ex-world champion, Olympic champion (here "ex-" does not happen, this is a life title) Vladimir Klichko leave the sport.

For many years, "Doctor Steel Hammer" reigned in the heavyweight division, and did not collect all four main heavyweight belts in his collection for only one reason: one of them (according to the WBC) at the same time was owned by his older brother, Vitaly.

How will we remember Wladimir-Klitschko boxer? NewsOne recalls the 10 most iconic fights of the Ukrainian in the ring - both triumphs and defeats.

At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, America, Vladimir won gold medal in the heavyweight division. In the final, the Ukrainian won the representative of the exotic Tonga Paea Wolfgram.

The first fight in the professional ring Klitschko Jr. held in November 1996. Debut turned out super-successful: Mexican Fabian Meza was knocked out in the 1st round!

Just one and only time out of 69 cases, Wladimir Klitschko fought in front of his native audience, in Kyiv. And it turned out to be a fiasco - a knockout in the 11th round from a little-known American Ross Puritty. Wladimir lost for the first time in his career in his 25th fight, and did not fight again in Ukraine.

On October 14, 2000, Vladimir fought for the first time (in his 36th fight!) for the WBO world title. And got it by defeating the American Chris Byrd.

3 years later, during the 6th defense of the WBO champion belt, Vladimir unexpectedly lost to the South African Corrie Sanders. The Ukrainian was poisoned before the fight (they talked about sabotage), and was not like himself. The result - a knockout in the 2nd round!

The title of world champion (according to IBF) Vladimir regained in 2006, knocking out the same Chris Bird(happy rival, for Vladimir, of course). And did not give the title for a long 9 years!

In 2008, Klitschko, who owned the IBF belt, had his first unification fight against Sultana Ibragimov, WBO champion. It was the first heavyweight unification fight in 9 years!

The result - the victory of the Ukrainian on points.

Finally, in 2011, after defeating the British David Haye, Klitschko Jr. took over the WBA, WBO and IBF world champion belts.

Fight against Tyson Fury in the fall of 2015, he actually broke the career of Wladimir Klitschko. The Ukrainian underestimated the silly (then it seemed that only in appearance) Briton, and lost 3 of his championship belts on points.

The rematch with Fury was postponed three times, while Tyson, who was addicted to alcohol and cocaine. They did not take away all the belts he had taken from Klitschko. For 2 of them - WBC and IBF Vladimir fought last spring in London at the Wembley Stadium against the young Olympic champion in 2012 Anthony Joshua.

Klitschko was close to victory when he knocked down his opponent in the middle of the fight, but in the end he ran into a knockout in the 11th round.

After the defeat from Joshua, they even called the place (Las Vegas, USA) and the date (November 11, 2017). But this fight won't happen now. As there will be no more fights involving Klitschko. There is no need to be sad, he had a bright career, with victories and defeats. The first ones happened more often - we will remember them.

Recalls key fights in the career of one of best boxers two decades.

Chris Bird, Cologne (Germany), 2000

The first really big fight Wladimir Klitschko held on October 14, 2000. His rival, 30-year-old American Chris Byrd, six months earlier, defeated Vladimir's brother, Vitaly, and took the WBO world title from him. Klitschko Jr. managed to avenge his older brother. The Ukrainian, who was then 24 years old, confidently won on points.

The first half of the fight was uneventful, but by the later rounds Klitschko's advantage became obvious. In the ninth and 11th rounds, he knocked down the world champion, which predetermined the judicial decision. This victory brought Vladimir the first world title and universal recognition. Six years later, he once again beat the already fairly spent Byrd.

Corrie Sanders, Hannover (Germany), 2003

Won in a fight with Byrd, Klitschko lost the title three years later - in a fight with South African Corry Sanders. Vladimir was such an obvious favorite that the underestimation of the opponent was evident in the comments of the fighter and his team. As it turned out, in vain. Already at the end of the first round, Sanders knocked Klitschko down, then another one. After the gong, bewilderment and even panic were read in the eyes of the Ukrainian.

In the second round, Sanders continued to dominate. He “dropped” Klitschko two more times and left the referee no choice but to fix a technical knockout. Vladimir received an extremely sensitive blow to his pride and reputation. Then, probably, for the first time they started talking about his “glass chin”.

Lymon Brewster, Las Vegas (USA), 2004

On April 10, 2004, Klitschko lost to the American Lymon Brewster (this was his third defeat). That fight was one of the strangest in Vladimir's career. He dominated the first four rounds, confidently won each of them, and in the fifth something went wrong. The 28-year-old athlete suddenly began to leave his strength. Experienced Brewster felt this and immediately seized the initiative.

By the end of the round, there was a beating in the ring, the judge counted the Ukrainian as a standing knockdown. Simultaneously with the gong, Klitschko collapsed exhausted along with the judge, and he decided to stop the fight, fixing Wladimir's second knockout defeat in a year. After that, Klitschko did not lose for 11 years, and in 2007 he took revenge from Brewster.

Sultan Ibragimov, New York (USA), 2008

February 23, 2008 Klitschko went against Russian champion peace of Sultan Ibragimov. The fight took place in New York and aroused great interest among the Russian and Ukrainian media. It was the first heavyweight unification bout in nine years, but the boxers fell short of the public's expectations.

Klitschko confidently worked with a jab and kept the opponent at a comfortable distance all the time. Ibragimov, who was noticeably inferior to his opponent in size, could not reach the goal in any way. By the middle of the battle, the dissatisfied hall began to whistle. By the end of the fight, the advantage of the Ukrainian became even more obvious, and following the results of 12 rounds, the judges gave the victory to Volodymyr by unanimous decision.

David Hay, Hamburg (Germany), 2011

Klitschko Jr. entered another unification fight in July 2011. His rival was a status Englishman, WBA world champion David Haye, who had won shortly before. All boxing fans were looking forward to the fight, interest in it was fueled by the “thrash current” that Haye was actively involved in. However, the fight did not live up to expectations.

The Briton, contrary to promises, did not go forward, but only occasionally threw single blows and maneuvered. Haye more than once sat down on his knees, hinting at dirty boxing performed by Klitschko, but the referee did not appreciate the acting skills of the Briton and counted him down. In an absolutely unspectacular battle, the judges unanimously gave the victory to the Ukrainian. After the fight, Haye tried to justify his passivity with an injury he received in training.

Alexander Povetkin, Moscow (Russia), 2013

In October 2013, Klitschko arrived in Moscow to fight Alexander Povetkin. This fight was talked about on every corner of the Russian capital; there was no such excitement on the eve of a sporting event for a long time. The battle itself, alas, did not correspond to the status of the “battle of the decade”. Povetkin, despite the support of the audience in the Olympic sports complex, could not do anything with Klitschko, who was superior in size and class to him.

Alexander was constantly trying to break into close range, but he did not succeed because of Vladimir's effective jab. The Ukrainian clinched a lot and fired at Povetkin from a distance, which brought him victory in each of the rounds. The Russian was in the course of the fight in several knockdowns and lost with a devastating score. After the fight, Klitschko took the microphone to thank the Moscow audience, but was booed.

Tyson Fury, Dusseldorf (Germany), 2015

In November 2015, Wladimir Klitschko fought Tyson Fury. The Briton of Irish origin, like no other, knows how to stir up interest in himself, which he did for several months before the fight. Klitschko tried to compete with Fury in "thrash talk", but did not succeed much in this.

In the ring, events unfolded as follows. By the age of 40, Klitschko had noticeably lost his sharpness and often did not keep up with the maneuvers of the huge Briton. Fury turned out to be one of the first rivals of Vladimir, surpassing him in height and arm span. Despite this, Klitschko did not change his usual tactics and worked mainly with a jab. By the middle of the fight, it became obvious that this style did not bring results. Fury effortlessly evaded the opponent's attacks and successfully counterattacked.

A few rounds before the finish, Vitaly told his brother that he was losing on points, but Vladimir could not change anything. Only in the last round did he go on a desperate assault, but it was too late. Fury won the fight by unanimous decision, inflicted Klitschko's first defeat in 11 years and stripped him of all championship belts. Thus ended the era of Klitschko.

Anthony Joshua, London (UK), 2017

Klitschko had a chance to turn back the clock in April of this year. 41-year-old boxer came to visit Olympic champion London 2012, which has never lost in a professional ring. The 27-year-old Briton is a new generation boxer: a pile of muscles, a terminator capable of knocking out at any second.

Klitschko was not afraid of this challenge and was close to victory. The fight turned out to be one of the most spectacular in heavyweight for many years. In the fifth-sixth rounds, the opponents exchanged knockdowns, and the second opponent was knocked down by a Ukrainian. Then it seemed that the experienced ex-champion would not miss his and “eat” the young Briton, but that was not the case. In the 11th round, Joshua finally got his opponent's jaw right with his right and shook him hard. Klitschko did not give up, continued to fight and maneuver, but Anthony was too strong. He struck blow after blow and finally finished off the Ukrainian, winning by technical knockout.

The rivals were close to revenge. The re-fight was scheduled for November 11 and was supposed to take place in Las Vegas, but on August 3, Vladimir decided to end his career. For 20 years in professional boxing, he won 64 victories (53 by knockout) and suffered five defeats. Not everyone liked Vladimir's style - often too cautious, but it is impossible not to pay tribute to him. Wladimir has been a dominant force in the world of boxing for over 15 years, making him one of the best fighters not only of his era, but of the entire history of the sport.