Klitschko brothers still fighting for title, as well as country
LONDON – When Wladimir Klitschko was told by his brother, Vitali, that he will be fighting for their country during his world heavyweight boxing title attempt this Saturday, it was more than empty rhetoric or encouragement.
Wladimir Klitschko battles Britain’s Anthony Joshua, who is 14 years younger and the oddsmakers’ favorite, at Wembley Stadium, in a showdown that will be witnessed by more 90,000 spectators and will shape the immediate future of the heavyweight division.
Yet the Klitschko family is mired in another fight, one far more fraught with emotion and resonance than even the drama of a championship blockbuster.
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It plays out in their homeland, Ukraine, where Vitali Klitschko is the mayor of capital city Kiev and a prominent political figure at a tumultuous time for the former Soviet nation.
“Vitali is in a much bigger fight than he’s ever been in his career,” Wladimir, 41, said, days before he will seek to become the IBF and WBA title holder after a 22-fight, 10-year winning streak as champion ended with defeat to Tyson Fury in late 2015. Before his final fight in 2012, Vitali, 45, racked up his own 13-bout, nine-year winning streak, while maintaining a stranglehold on the WBC heavyweight title.
“(Politics is) something where you don’t have to think about just one opponent,” Wladimir added. “Boxing, there are rules. Politics, there are flexible rules and you don’t see your opponents standing in the ring. In politics, there are a lot of sharks under the water and you don’t know what they’re doing.”
Ukraine is a nation with deep divisions that, broadly speaking, revolve around the ideological debate about whether the country should seek closer ties with Western Europe and the European Union, or with Russia.
In the aftermath of the Ukrainian revolution in 2014, the Crimea region was annexed by Russia on the orders of Vladimir Putin. Fear of military aggression and political pressure from Moscow persists. Vitali (45-2, 41 KOs) will be in Wladimir’s corner on Saturday, but will return to Kiev immediately afterwards.
“I never miss one of Wladimir’s fights,” Vitali told the Daily Mail. “As brothers we are always doubly strong together. And our country needs his victory in this fight.”
Vitali was a key figure in the civil upheaval of 2014, dealing with activists during the infamous Maidan protests that saw thousands of Ukrainians descend upon Kiev’s Independence Square to rail against the government, before receiving brutal treatment from the police.
As a member of the pro-EU opposition, Vitali predominantly shared the same sentiments as the protesters, but was still blasted in the face with a fire extinguisher.
He would, however, emerge as one of the faces of the movement, and gained a level of respect from millions of his countrymen that went beyond anything he could ever achieve in boxing.
He is now talked about as a future president of Ukraine, though the situation remains so unpredictable such things are far from a formality. Like many of his countrymen, he is deeply concerned about Putin’s intentions.
“I understand that somebody on our borders wants to rebuild a big empire,” Vitali said. “We do not relish this idea. We do not want to be taken back into the Soviet Union. My Ukraine sees its future as part of the European family. This is the biggest challenge of my life.”
Any politician will have opponents yet Vitali is in his second term as Kiev’s mayor and the Klitschkos are generally seen as symbols of strength and hope, giants physically and with deep, imposing voices, backed by intelligent minds.
Wladimir (64-4, 53 KOs) is married to American actress Hayden Panettiere, will earn more than $15 million for fighting Joshua and like his brother has become supremely rich from boxing.
Both men could have settled for the easy life, but that is not their style. Wladimir’s post-boxing career is more likely to involve a supporting role to his brother’s political aspirations than a direct position himself.
“I’m very proud of my brother and how he’s doing his job in such a difficult, geopolitical, economical atmosphere as we have in the Ukraine,” Wladimir said. “There are so many responsibilities that you cannot compare it with anything else. Every day, every hour, every second, he’s responsible for 5 million people. I have so much respect for him. It’s complicated. But I think he’s doing a great, great job."
The physical resemblance between the men means that in the streets of Kiev Wladimir is sometimes stopped by citizens who tell of him of their social gripes and expect him to take action, mistakenly believing him to be the mayor.
“One thing that is always there with both Wladimir and Vitali, and always has been there, is a deep love of their country and a sense of caring about the well-being of the people of Ukraine,” said Tom Loeffler, who has promoted both brothers.
“Wladimir has supported Vitali every step of the way, and also takes very seriously what it means to represent his country in the ring, to do it with honor and to come across as someone of integrity.”
It may be that Wladimir is close to the end of a remarkable career, one where his defensive yet supremely efficient style lacked flashiness but ensured a long reign. The loss to Fury may have been merely a blip but even at his best, the ferocious knockout artistry of Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) will be a huge obstacle to overcome. The younger Klitschko, however, has no doubts.
“I’m obsessed with bouncing back,” Wladimir said. “I’m obsessed with showing those critics – knowing I’ve already been written off because I’m an old lion, an underdog, whatever people call me – and I love it. I love the challenge and the obsession of coming back. I’ve done it before.”
Fighting – whether it be for pride, freedom, redemption, or the future of their country – is in the Klitschko blood.