2025 has already been a wild year for boxing, but who had a ‘Dr Steelhammer’ return on their bingo card?
Back in February, former heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko stirred up a storm when he teased that the door had been left open to a potential comeback.
Not only has his promoter now doubled down on the idea of a ‘Dr Steelhammer’ return, but he also named the three potential heavyweights who could welcome him back to the ring.
- DR STEELHAMMER: Wladimir Klitschko’s final boxing match was one of the greatest fights of the 21st century
Promoter claims Wladimir Klitschko wants to fight for world title again
Wladimir Klitschko’s long-time promoter Tom Loeffler has told Ring Magazine that ‘Dr Steelhammer’ has the itch to fight for a world title again, eight years after his last professional bout.
“Wladimir is such a historic figure. I don’t want to speculate for Wladimir, but my understanding is that he does want to fight for a title,” Loeffler revealed earlier this week.
“If anyone can make a comeback [at his age], it’s Wladimir. He’s in tremendous shape every time I see him, much like he was when he went on a historic 25-title defense run.”
Klitschko bowed out after suffering back-to-back defeats to Tyson Fury (2015) and Anthony Joshua (2017) – ‘Dr Steelhammer’ would love to get his revenge for at least one of those losses.
“There are so many great matchups for him [out there], rematches versus Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury,” stated Loeffler, adding that he’s also open to facing Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title.
“That’s a great fight. That’s up to Wladimir, though. I’ll let him speak for himself and I won’t put any words in his mouth. I’d like to see him come back as a fan of boxing and a fan of Wladimir.
“I have so much respect for Wladimir and his brother Vitali and what they’ve accomplished in the ring and what they are facing now in Ukraine. They are like brothers to me. Hopefully, we can see a resolution soon there with this unnecessary war and invasion of their country.”
Interestingly, Daniel Dubois has already teased a Klitschko showdown.
Wladimir Klitschko could break historic record with comeback
Should Wladimir Klitschko actually make a successful return to the ring, there’d be much more than a pretty payday on the line– there’d also be a chance to break an all-time boxing record.
As of March 2025, the record for the oldest fighter to win a world title is 49 years and 94 days, as set by Bernard Hopkins winning WBA (Super) and IBA light heavyweight gold in 2014.
Klitschko is currently 48 years old but is set to celebrate his 49th birthday in just a few weeks’ time on March 25.
That means that Klitschko could break the all-time record for the oldest world champion if he regains a title any time after June 28, 2025.