Wladimir Klitschko retired after his losses to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and left behind a legacy as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
Wladimir ‘Dr. Steelhammer’ Klitschko still holds the records today for longest cumulative heavyweight reign at 4382 days, as well as the most fighters beaten for the heavyweight championship at 23.
He retired with a record of 64-5, and was formidable even late into his career.
Heavyweight Dillian Whyte spoke in 2020 of a spar he witnessed in which Klitschko laid out one of the most dangerous punchers in boxing in an intense sparring session.
Wladimir Klitschko left Deontay Wilder twitching on the canvas
According to TalkSport, Whyte said he witnessed a spar between Klitschko and Deontay Wilder, in which Klitschko put Wilder down:
“It wasn’t no knockdown […] He was knocked cold. Properly twitching as well.”
Wilder went on to pose serious problems to Tyson Fury, who had beaten Klitschko years prior, in their heavyweight title contest, with ‘The Bronze Bomber’ putting Fury on his back with a punch many believed he wouldn’t get up from.
The fight ended in a draw but Fury settled the score in two subsequent fights, stopping Wilder worse than Klitschko reportedly had done.
Despite Whyte’s claims, though, Klitschko’s trainer Johnathon Banks, who now trains Chris Eubank Jr. had his own side of the story.
“It didn’t happen”… Wladimir Klitschko’s coach dispels rumors of Deontay Wilder knockout
Banks said of the spar on TheBoxingVoice: “If I was the trainer, wouldn’t I know about it? I’m the one who picked Wilder and all the other sparring partners to come. It’s not true…”
“Did Deontay Wilder get knocked out cold in sparring by Wladimir? No, that’s the truth it didn’t happen.”
He did confirm that Klitschko, who dominated Ray Mercer, did drop Wilder though: “Did he [Wilder] get dropped? Yes he did.”
As with most sparring stories, it is unclear what really happened that day, or how much truth either party is telling, though what is clear is that even past his prime, Klitschko, who lost to Anthony Joshua in his final fight, was not a man to take lightly.