Exactly 1,400 days after his last fight, Vitali Klitschko beat champion Samuel Peter on Saturday to regain the WBC heavyweight belt and seal the Klitschko brothers’ world domination of the division.
The 37-year-old Klitschko — elder brother of IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion Vladimir — added the WBC crown to the family’s collection having last fought in December 2004 before a knee injury led to his temporary retirement.
In his first fight for four years, Klitschko dethroned Nigeria’s Peter who retired at the end of the eighth round to hand Klitschko a technical knock-out and crown him world champion for the third time.
PHOTO: EPA
“I knew there was no risk coming back to the ring,” said a delighted Klitschko. “I worked hard and made my dream a reality.”
And after an emotional celebration with his brother in the Berlin ring, Vladmimir said his elder sibling had done the family name proud.
“You proved that you are the better of the Klitschkos, I am proud of you,” he said.
Vitali had won his first world title against Herbie Hide in 1999 when he won the WBO title which he then lost to Chris Byrd in 2000.
He returned to the ring to win both the WBC and IBO crowns which he lost to Lennox Lewis in 2003.
Having won back and defended the WBC title against Danny Williams in December 2004, Klitschko was forced to retire until Saturday night’s spectacular return.
Peter, dubbed the “Nigerian Nightmare” with a record of 30 wins and now two defeats, managed just once defense of the title he won against Russia’s Oleg Maskaev on March 8 and never threatened Klitschko.
The Nigerian made a good start and caught the Ukrainian on the shoulder in the first round with a heavy shot as he took advantage of Klitschko’s low guard.
But Klitschko, who boasts the highest overall knockout ratio of any heavyweight champion with 36 wins and now 35 knock-outs, caught the Nigerian with several shots to the face in the second.
In an impressive build-up, the Pussycat Dolls sang and five former heavyweight champions — Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson and Lewis — all sent video messages of support for Klitschko.
And the Ukrainian was rarely troubled as he constantly landed telling punches while Peter rarely made telling contact.
The 2025 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Mr Universe Chinese Taipei competition began yesterday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, with more than 150 athletes showcasing their physiques. It is the first time in 16 years that the IFBB has held a competition in Taiwan, the last being the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. The professional bodybuilding contest is bringing together athletes from Taiwan and 16 other countries, including Malaysia, Japan, the US, France and Mexico. IFBB Chinese Taipei president Hsu An-chin said in an interview yesterday that the event came to Taiwan thanks to his lobbying efforts at last
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Cycling great Marianne Vos won the opening stage of the women’s Tour de France with a brilliant late attack on Saturday. The 38-year-old Dutchwoman overtook her Visma–Lease a Bike teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot approaching the line, and then held off Mauritian rider Kim Le Court in the closing meters of a grueling uphill finish. Ferrand-Prevot looked set to win the stage, but the Frenchwoman attacked too early from 600m and could not withstand the late surge from Vos, who punched the air with her left fist as she crossed the line. Moments later, Vos hugged an exhausted-looking Ferrand-Prevot, the Paris-Roubaix winner. “I didn’t know if
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
RSS