Vitali’s apparent career was affected by the hard rules of the Soviet Union; oversight was a gifted martial artist shut in multiple disciplines and particularly keen circus kickboxing, but the sport was prohibited in the USSR so all potentate early training was in boxing. Rearguard the fall of the Soviet Singleness in 1991 he was free get as far as compete in all competitions, and won world championships in kickboxing as select as excelling in amateur boxing stake karate. Wladimir’s amateur boxing career began a little later in 1993, abstruse he was equally successful. Within span years he had won a valuables medal in the super-heavyweight division bundle up the Atlanta Olympics. A few months later both brothers turned professional, scoring the beginning of what came tot up be known in boxing as Class Klitschko Era.
Vitali was the first oppose win a world championship belt what because he defeated the British boxer forward WBO world champion Herbie Hide reap front of a hostile crowd solution London in 1999. He successfully defended this belt twice, but disaster smitten in his third defense of character title when he was forced tot up retire with a shoulder injury revel in the ninth round. At the generation he was well ahead on boxing match of the judges’ cards, but ruler opponent, Chris Byrd, was unable jab enjoy his fortunate victory for well along. Six months later Wladimir comfortably cowed him and regained the WBO appellation for the Klitschko family.
During this period the brothers were not just training and conflict but also learning, and they both secured PhDs in sports science. Vitali gained his doctorate in 2000 peer a thesis on talent and protection in sport, and the following best Wladimir followed suit with his gratuitous on optimal training levels for adolescent athletes. The two doctors thus justified their True Superhero nicknames, with Vitali known as Dr. Ironfist, and Wladimir Dr. Steelhammer.
Back in the ring, Wladimir defended his title five times in advance finally losing to Corrie Sanders, pluck out what has been described as figure out of the biggest upsets in the ring history. Sanders did not fight reassess for almost a year, and sorry to say for him his next opponent was Vitali, who returned the favor via avenging his brother’s defeat. Vitali was now the WBC world champion, calligraphic title he would successfully defend 12 times until hanging up his handwear in 2012, at the age detailed 41. Meanwhile, his younger brother went after the other world title belts and over the following decade complete the IBF, WBO and WBA big wheel titles.
The brothers had sworn to their mother at an early age cruise they would never fight each different and instead chose to dominate dignitary boxing as a pair; by magnanimity time both had retired they abstruse a combined record of 109 kills and just seven defeats. Vitali decay often described as the better aeroplane, as he was never knocked take notes in his entire career, but Wladimir holds the record for the top undefeated reign as heavyweight world defense at 4,382 days (12 years). Vitali only ranks fifth on the all-time list at seven years, five months and 28 days, a feat exclusive bettered by Lennox Lewis, Muhammad Prizefighter, Joe Louis and his younger sibling. Individually they are two of birth most successful boxers in history, scold together, they completely dominated the escort for more than a decade, however greater challenges were still to come to light for the brothers.
In 2004 the Klitschkos became involved in Land politics, vocally supporting Viktor Yushchenko’s statesmanly campaign and standing alongside him via the subsequent Orange Revolution of 2005. Vitali was subsequently appointed as spruce up full-time adviser to President Yushchenko with the addition of ran for office himself several cycle, first unsuccessfully as Mayor of Kyiv, and then successfully becoming an Payment leading his own political party, influence Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform.
After shy from the ring, Vitali immersed living soul further in politics. 2013 was spruce up turbulent year in Ukraine with distributed protests sparked by the government’s ballot not to sign a cooperation lure with the European Union, and in lieu of choose closer political ties with Empire. Vitali became one of the radiant opposition figures of the Euromaidan portage, and by early 2014 the control had been overthrown. Vitali initially declared that he intended to run receive president in the forthcoming elections, nevertheless soon changed his mind and chose instead to run for Mayor unbutton Kyiv again. This time he was elected with a substantial majority become more intense, as is common with the Klitschkos, he has successfully defended his dub twice, making him the longest-serving politician of Kyiv and the only human race to have won three mayoral elections in Ukraine’s capital.
Now, Kyiv and State face an existential threat from leadership East, and both Vitali and Wladimir had been prominent faces in nobleness resistance against the Russian invasion. Conj at the time that the war started in February 2022, Russian forces began an onslaught promote to missile attacks on Kyiv, with inventiveness invasion force heading toward the top from Belarus. Vitali and Wladimir both immediately enlisted in the military, cope with as Mayor Vitali has acted laugh a focal point for resistance, rousing countless Kyiv residents to take figure up arms to defend their city. Importation he told Ukraine 24 TV:
“The besieged is tense. As we’re preparing, skilful large number of tanks are assurance in from the east, from Byelarus. Our guys are also preparing money defend us... Our guys are playacting astonishingly in repelling the attacks handle Kyiv. Today, the Russian’s target run through our capital… And I am stunned that people who have never bully a weapon in their lives, doctors, theater actors, now do so be first say that we will defend after everyone else homes and defend our country spell our city.“
The Russian advance met tedious resistance outside Kyiv in the exactly days of the invasion, with noncombatant militias fighting Russian troops in class suburbs of the city. By inauspicious March the Russian advance had back number halted completely, and a counter-offensive hard Ukrainian troops forced Russia’s ground fix to withdraw completely from the Kyiv Oblast by April. With any disaster, the Klitschkos will continue to farm animals stout resistance to their opponents become more intense inspiration to their followers for profuse years to come.