Klitschko Drops Comeback Plan Against Dubois

November 29, 2024

4 months

Wladimir Klitschko reportedly considered a comeback at 48 to face off against Daniel Dubois.

According to reports, Klitschko was attempting to make a return for Dubois’ IBF Heavyweight Title. The Ukrainian has not had a boxing fight since getting stopped by Anthony Joshua in 2017. That was his second consecutive loss following the defeat against Tyson Fury in the bout before. Since then, Klitschko has shown his support for his countrymen as he backed Oleksandr Usyk in his recent fight against Tyson Fury for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship.

He was in attendance as Usyk beat Fury to become the first Undisputed Heavyweight Champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. A return to the ring would have been a historic moment. Klitschko would have been the oldest heavyweight champion to have won a world title, surpassing the record set by George Foreman. Foreman stopped Michael Moorer at the age of 45 to become the IBF Heavyweight Champion. However, the chances of a Klitschko comeback were slim. It could have raised safety implications.

Klitschko’s Comeback

The boxing authorities had already been scrutinized when they sanctioned Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson. Tyson got in the ring when he was three decades older (58) against Paul, who was much younger at 27. While both fighters made it out of the ring in one piece, it was a poor spectacle. There were suggestions that Paul was taking things easy on Tyson. It would have also created a backlash from the boxing community if Klitschko was given a title shot immediately upon his return. There are other fighters in the heavyweight division who have arguably done more to deserve a title shot. Take, for example, Joseph Parker.

He is coming off two huge wins against Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. In addition, the chances of Klitschko winning would have been very slim. Father time catches up with everybody, as shown by Evander Holyfield’s comeback in 2021. He returned to the ring at 58 against Victor Belfort. He was repeatedly hit in the first round, getting knocked down as the referee stopped the fight. Although a Klitschko return may have spurred his country on, the boxer’s priorities are probably served better elsewhere.

He recently hit out at Joe Rogan for his comments during his discussion with Donald Trump. Rogan referred to the Russia-Ukraine war as a proxy war. He criticized Joe Biden’s decision to allow American missiles to be used by Ukraine to hit Russia since Biden was leaving office on January 20. Klitschko responded by demanding face-to-face talks with Rogan. He accused Rogan of spreading Russian propaganda.

Klitschko On Rogan

“Joe Rogan, I listened to your latest podcast. I’m sending you this video to let you know that I disagree. You talk about these American weapons being sent to Ukraine, which you believe will lead to the third world war. So, let me tell you that you are repeating Russian propaganda.

“So you are using the only weapon that Putin really intends to use – propaganda. And this weapon really weakens our democracies. Putin’s Russia wants to destroy Ukraine quietly. They want America to stay quiet, not great, but quiet. A great America is not an America that abandons countries that defend freedom with their lives. In short, you see I have quite a few points of difference. If you invite me to your podcast, we can discuss them like free men,” Klitschko said