Wladimir Klitschko earned the 17th defense of his world heavyweight crowns with a fifth-round knockout of Kubrat Pulev on Saturday to secure the 53rd KO of his career.
The 38-year-old inched closer to the legendary Joe Louis’ record of 25 heavyweight defenses when he put the Bulgarian down for the fourth time, 2 minutes, 11 seconds into the round.
Klitschko dominated the fight in one of the most impressive displays of his career as he prepares to become a father next month with girlfriend, actress Hayden Panettiere of US series Heroes and Nashville.
Photo: Reuters
The Ukrainian champion paid tribute to his countrymen in their ongoing military struggle against Russia after the bout in his adopted hometown of Hamburg, Germany.
“I want to dedicate this victory to my compatriots in the Ukraine, who are experiencing difficult times,” said Klitschko, whose brother, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, a former world champion, was in his corner.
“Pulev put in a good performance and I give him respect. He made it hard to land the left hook by staying out of range, but I managed to land a lot of punches and I’m glad it worked out in the end,” Wladimir Klitschko said.
The Ukrainian fighter retains his IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO belts to remain the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world after the 63rd victory of his career and used his left hook to devastating effect.
Pulev was on the canvas twice in the first round after an explosive start by both the world champion and the IBF’s mandatory challenger.
The Bulgarian was quickly on his feet, grinning and balancing on one leg in a bid to prove he was unaffected, but Wladimir Klitschko was soon on top again.
He put Pulev on the canvas with a fierce left hook in the third round, as a cut opened under the challenger’s left eye, but he survived referee Tony Weeks’ count.
It has been more than a decade since Wladimir Klitschko’s last defeat — to Lamon Brewster in April 2004 — and the champion was clearly on top by the fourth round.
He caught the Bulgarian flush in the face with a left hook early in the fifth round and another ended the fight as Pulev went down for the fourth and final time.
The defeat was the first of the 33-year-old’s career after 11 knockouts in 20 victories and despite his prefight promises, the challenger failed to trouble the champion.
“I’m happy with myself, but I think [Wladimir] Klitschko had a bit of luck,” Pulev said before being taken to hospital for treatment.
American rugby sevens star Ilona Maher is to join 15-a-side club Bristol next month in a bid to play in next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, the English club announced on Monday. Maher, 28, helped the US to a bronze medal at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris and is the seven-a-side sport’s most popular player on social media. “This is a huge coup to be able to bring Ilona Maher to Bristol Bears on a short-term deal,” Bristol head coach Dave Ward said. “She is one of the biggest names in women’s sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will
Major League Baseball (MLB) star Shohei Ohtani wants his former interpreter to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. The Los Angeles Dodgers star is also requesting Ippei Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly US$17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, return signed collectible baseball cards depicting Ohtani that were in Mizuhara’s “unauthorized and wrongful possession,” court documents filed on Tuesday said. The legal filing alleges Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account beginning in about November 2021, changing his security protocols so that he
US skier Mikaela Shiffrin said she sustained an abrasion on her left hip and that something “stabbed” her when she crashed during her second run of an Audi FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom race on Saturday, doing a flip and sliding into the protective fencing. Shiffrin stayed down on the edge of the course for quite some time as the ski patrol attended to her. She was taken off the hill on a sled and waved to the cheering crowd before going to a clinic for evaluation. “Not really too much cause for concern at this point, I just
CLASH OF MANAGERS: Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler and Russell Martin of Southampton accused each other of disrespect, while both were booked Southampton on Friday were denied a priceless victory by a controversial decision as they drew with hosts Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 in the Premier League. Kaoru Mitoma spectacularly headed Brighton into a first-half lead and Flynn Downes hammered home an equalizer an hour in. Minutes later teammate Cameron Archer converted a cross from Saints substitute Ryan Fraser. A video assistant referee check of more than four minutes eventually decided that Archer was onside, but then penalized Adam Armstrong, who was offside, but did not touch the ball, for interfering with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. “I find it hard to accept,” Southampton manager Russell Martin
RSS