Wladimir Klitschko lost to just five men, avenging one of them, but it so easily could’ve been six if one man got his way in 2004.
Wladimir Klitschko finished his career with two consecutive losses to Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, having lost just three times in his previous 67 fights.
Klitschko, for much of his career, seemed an unstoppable force in the division, but one man was painfully close to becoming the third man to topple the giant.
DaVarryl Williamson dropped Wladimir Klitschko in bloody war
In 2004, just one fight after his loss to Lamon Brewster, Klitschko took on 20-2 DaVarryl Williamson.
Williamson dropped Klitschko in the fourth round of the fight and became the first man to drop Klitschko but not stop or even beat him.
Unfortunately for Williamson, an unintentional headbutt opened a gash on Klitschko’s head, forcing the fight to come to an end and to go to the judges’ scorecards early.
Despite dropping him and leaving him bloodied and bruised, Williamson was only favored by one judge, with the other two scoring it 49-42 in favor of Klitschko, who may return to boxing.
The decision received much criticism in the venue as Klitschko, who dropped Joshua years later, saved his record by the skin of his teeth.
“It was not an easy fight,” Klitschko, who was dropped by Samuel Peter three times, said, according to BoxRec. “I really felt his right hand.”
Wladimir Klitschko’s ‘Doctor Steel Hammer’ nickname is surprisingly accurate
Klitschko’s nickname, ‘Dr. Steel Hammer’ is not too dissimilar to his brother, Vitali Klitschko‘s nickname, ‘Dr. Iron Fist’.
This is because both men have doctorates in Sports Science. Wladimir’s dissertation was on how much training to give 14-19 year olds based on the development of their bodies.
This, paired with the fact 53 of his 64 wins came by knockout, make his nickname a great fit.