KEY POINTS

  • Wladimir Klitschko opens up about wanting to have a rematch with Tyson Fury
  • Klitschko last fought Anthony Joshua in 2017, losing the bout by TKO in the 11th round
  • He is currently in his home country of Ukraine and helping out in their war efforts

Widely regarded as one of the best heavyweights in the modern era of boxing, Wladimir Klitschko announced his retirement in August 2017 and has since been involved in the defense of his native Ukraine in their ongoing war against Russia.

However, Klitschko recently revealed that he and British boxing king Tyson Fury were planning to have a rematch of their 2015 classic.

In a recent appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Klitschko thought of coming out of retirement to square off one more time against “The Gypsy King”.

“I was thinking I should just text Tyson Fury and tweet, ‘Last dance?’ He (Fury) wants to retire. We were supposed to have this rematch and that’s what I was thinking about it. You know, I didn't do it because my mind was in a totally different world,” said Klitschko as quoted by Boxing Scene.

Thoughts of coming out of retirement were quickly put to rest after the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War as Klitschko and his brother, Vitali, were pressed into action.

Klitschko’s last fight was in April 2017 when he suffered an absolutely devastating 11th-round TKO loss to Anthony Joshua in an absolute classic that also featured this astounding uppercut that sent Klitschko reeling.

But before he faced Joshua, Klitschko was involved in a highly-anticipated bout with another British boxing king in the form of Fury.

Klitschko would go on to lose the November 2015 matchup by unanimous decision, and questions lingered whether how long he could fight as he was already 39 years old by that point.

“I had a dream to become the oldest heavyweight champion of the world… But we were talking about something that was happening before and now there's a big question mark,” he stated.

Now at age 46, Klitschko no longer has to prove anything to anyone as he has shown that he has a warrior’s spirit and heart as was seen in his last fight against Joshua.

But knowing the competitor in Klitschko, boxing fans just might see him step into the ring one more time, potentially against Fury, once the war in Ukraine ends.

Tyson Fury
Tyson Fury is victorious as he defeats Dillian Whyte during their WBC heavyweight championship fight at Wembley Stadium on April 23, 2022 in London, England. Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images