Wladimir Klitschko’s long pursuit of heavyweight champion George Foreman’s oldest record is coming to an end as he turns 50, with the ongoing war in Ukraine finally unsettling him.
For years, World Boxing News documented Klitschko’s desire to return to boxing solely to break Foreman’s historic mark.
The former unified heavyweight ruler has repeatedly said that he has no interest in exhibitions, farewell fights or simply returning to the ring for nostalgia.
“It’s a record-breaking comeback,” Klitschko said as speculation about a comeback gained momentum following his 2017 retirement.
Now, after almost a decade away from the sport and after his 50th birthday, a dream that once seemed realistic during the turmoil of the heavyweight division has quietly faded away.
Bernd Boente
No one understands Klitschko’s way of thinking better than Bernd Boente.
Boente spent 18 years as manager and CEO of Klitschko Management Group during one of the most dominant eras in heavyweight boxing history before leaving the position in 2018.
Today, Boente works as an analyst for DAZN DACH, covering major heavyweight fights including Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk vs. Rico Verhoeven.
His experience goes back even further, after decades of working in the ring with Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez and many others during his television work in Germany from 1987-2000.
When asked by WBN if Klitschko was unhappy about potentially losing his chance to break Foreman’s record, Boente made it clear that boxing was no longer a priority.
“We talk on the phone quite often, but we never talk about boxing,” Boente told World Boxing News exclusively.
“Vitali, Vladimir and their compatriots are currently engaged in completely different matters in the country.
“They are fighting the most essential fight of their lives, namely the fight for the freedom and independence of their homeland, Ukraine!”
Michael Sterling Eaton
George Foreman’s record
The comments add a sense of finality to the comeback story that WBN has been following since 2018.
Klitschko has talked about Foreman’s record many times over the years and has openly admitted that it remains one of the few motivations that could pull him back into professional boxing.
“I still have it. Can I fight? Yes,” Klitschko said earlier.
“There will be no comeback to break your jaw. It’s a comeback to break the record.”
The pandemic initially put a damper on those ambitions after DAZN discussed a massive comeback deal that included multiple fights and a world title shot.
Then the Russian-Ukrainian war changed everything.
Instead of preparing to return to heavyweight at the age of 45 or 46, Klitschko stood by his brother Vitali during the darkest period in Ukraine’s contemporary history.
Even amid speculation about Turka Alalshich’s desire to facilitate Klitschko achieve the record, the Ukrainian legend has repeatedly emphasized where his priorities actually lie.
“At the moment, I am not interested in my return to boxing, but in the return of Russians to their country outside Ukraine,” Klitschko declared at the end of 2024.
The return of the heavyweight division
Exceeding the age of 50 effectively eliminates any chances for Klitschko to return to the ring.
It’s been almost a decade since he retired, and even then, many considered him over the top.
Given the current state of the heavyweight division, Daniel Dubois or Murat Gassiev would be the obvious choice for any comeback attempt.
However, Klitschko’s decision was largely ignored by the ongoing situation in Ukraine.
The opportunities may still exist from a boxing standpoint. Foreman’s desire to chase achievement may even still be lurking in the background.
But the reality described by Boente paints a completely different picture.
For Wladimir Klitschko, the fight that matters right now has nothing to do with the heavyweight titles.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Since 2010, he has been interviewing world champions, breaking down international titles exclusively and reporting from the ring. His work is distributed on major platforms including Apple News. Read the full biography.
Teofimo Lopez has criticised his father for showing a lack of competence during his unanimous decision defeat to Shakur Stevenson.
‘The Takeover’ was handily outboxed and dethroned by Stevenson in January, winning just one round as his opponent became a four-division world champion at 140lbs.
As a result, Lopez is now moving up to 147lbs in an attempt to reinvent himself and become a three-weight world champion against Rolando Romero.
But while he felt a change in weight was most certainly needed, the 29-year-old saw no reason to dismiss his father, Teofimo Sr, as his head coach.
This is in spite of the fact that Lopez Sr was heavily ridiculed for his efforts in the corner at Madison Square Garden, where Stevenson’s route to victory was only made clearer by his bizarre style of coaching.
Rather than offering his son any words of advice, he just simply pointed out his flaws and gave the defending champion no direction on how to improve.
Lopez therefore confronted his father while speaking with Ring Magazinealbeit with no threats of employing a different trainer.
“Every son wants to make their father proud. When you got your father in that moment – when you’re bleeding; when they’re allowing Shakur to do all these extra things … and your trainer is not going you instructions – they’re just talking you down: ‘Where’s your power? Where’s this? You’re gonna hate yourself’ – all roads lead to [defeat].”
As he takes on WBA champion Romero at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, it should be interesting to see how Lopez’s corner shapes up between rounds.
In any event, the American will be under a fair amount of pressure to produce an improved performance.
Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn are scheduled to square off next month, and ‘King Ry’ has reacted to news that this will be the Briton’s final bout at welterweight, following a difficult weight cut.
Benn has not fought at 147lbs since a knockout victory over Chris van Heerden back in April 2022, but he was installed as the WBC’s mandatory challenger for the welterweight division earlier this year, after revealing his intentions of returning to the weight.
Reality seems to have hit home for ‘The Destroyer’ during this camp though, as he has already announced that this will be his last contest in the division following a brutal weight cutregardless of the outcome, signalling that he has outgrown the weight.
In a clip captured by Ring MagazineGarcia responded to Benn’s announcement and declared that his upcoming opponent is already making excuses ahead of their meeting.
“We know you can’t make weight. This is why Conor Benn said this is his last time at 147lbs. My guy is making excuses before he loses, who says that, ‘this is my last fight at 147’.
“My guy, you gonna go backwards just to get that a** whooped? Oh my gosh, bro. It’s fine, bro, he is just going to run into it. F**k that dude.”
Garcia-Benn takes place on Saturday, September 12, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Zuffa Boxing cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia poised to take on current WBC cruiserweight titleholder Noel Mikaelian – although he may no longer be champion come fight week.
Next month, Ryan Garcia will go toe-to-toe with Conor Benn in the first defence of his WBC welterweight title, and now former pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford has doubled down on his prediction for the clash.
Crawford hung up the gloves whilst recognised as the pound-for-pound number one in December, but that has not stopped ‘Bud’ from developing a heated rivalry with Garcia since his retirement, with the pair making regular jibes at one another in recent months.
Garcia has now revealed his intentions to tempt the undefeated southpaw out of retirement if he retains his title against Benn, but the Omaha-born sensation has declared his belief that Garcia will lose his belt to the Briton, favouring the challenger’s size and power.
Now, as fight week edges closer, Crawford has once again insisted that Benn will pull off the upset, as he told Fight Hub TV that he is picking ‘The Destroyer’ to come out on top.
“It’s going to be a good fight. I got Conor Benn!”
Benn will be competing at welterweight for the first time in nearly five years, looking to wrestle away the belt that Garcia won back in February with a win over Mario Barrios.
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