A pair of German prospects hope to follow in the footsteps of Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, who became the first brothers to simultaneously reign as world heavyweight champions.

The two highly-decorated Ukrainians achieved this feat between 2008 and 2013, after Vitali reclaimed his WBC title by dethroning Samuel Peter with an eighth-round finish.

‘Dr. Ironfist’ would then retire from the sport and pursue his political career, while Wladimir became the longest-reigning world heavyweight champion in history before losing to Tyson Fury in 2015.

While holding all four major titles between them, though, the Klitschko brothers established themselves as a dominant force and became mainstream celebrities in Germany.

Since then, the German boxing scene has struggled to generate such widespread attention but, now, over a decade later, Ismet Ademi (24) and Endrit Ademi (21) are bidding to emulate the Klitschko duo.

With seven national titles between them, the pair turned professional earlier this year and caught the eye of several promoters in the UK and US.

It can now be revealed, however, that the Ademi brothers have inked multi-year deals with Ringside Zone, who considers itself the leading boxing promotional outfit in Germany.

With Ismet returning to action on October 10, the 1-0 (1 KO) prospect explained that he and younger brother Endrit, 2-0 (2 KOs), would rather establish themselves on home soil than chase opportunities overseas.

“My brother and I had massive offers from abroad, but Germany is our home and this is where we want to build our legacy.

“Ringside Zone has already shown they can put German fighters in world title fights, and that mattered to us. We made a promise to each other years ago that we would become world champions together – signing here is another step toward keeping it.”

With lofty plans for the future, the Ademi brothers make for intriguing additions to the heavyweight scene as they aim to eventually reach world level and reach the heights that the Klitschko brothers once did.

Muhammad Ali once revealed who he believed to be the pound-for-pound greatest fighter of all time.

Ali is arguably the biggest name to ever grace boxing, becoming a global cultural figure not just for what he accomplished inside of the ring, but also for his activism efforts outside of it.

He was a three-time world heavyweight champion, and claimed wins in a number of epic battles, including the ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ against George Foremanand the ‘Thrilla In Manila’ against Joe Frazier.

Ali finished with a record of 56 wins from his 61 professional bouts, and despite all of his success, Ali conceded that another man ranked above him as the number one fighter in boxing history, admitting that he feels Sugar Ray Robinson is deserving of that honour.

“That man was beautiful. Timing, speed, reflexes, rhythm, his body, everything was beautiful.

“I’d say I’m the greatest heavyweight of all time, but pound-for-pound, I still say Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest of all time.”

Robinson competed professionally from 1940 to 1965, having a remarkable 201 fights during that time, winning 174 of them. At his peak, Robinson once had a record of 129 wins from 132 fights, with 85 of those wins coming by knockout.

He went on a 91-fight unbeaten streak during that time, as he held the world welterweight title for five years, before becoming world middleweight champion on multiple occasions.

Ali isn’t the only boxing legend that believes Robinson is the best ever, with fellow heavyweight icon Mike Tyson also sharing the same view.

Johnny Fisher’s lucrative move to Zuffa Boxing could be over almost as quickly as it began if Michael Pirotton produces a damaging knockout at London’s Copper Box Arena this weekend.

Eyebrows were raised when Zuffa invested significantly in Fisher following his brutal defeat to Dave Allen. The popular heavyweight had looked far from the finished article at domestic level, never mind world level, when Allen stopped him in five rounds last year.

Fisher has since rebuilt with a knockout victory over Ivan Balaz, but Saturday represents something entirely different.

The 27-year-old will headline Zuffa Boxing 11 against Pirotton in his first appearance for Dana White’s fledgling promotion. More importantly, Fisher has revealed that his initial agreement with Zuffa is for just one fight.

That puts considerably more on the line than the result itself.

Fisher’s Zuffa Boxing Gamble

Fisher left Matchroom Boxing after receiving what he described as a tremendous financial offer from Zuffa. Reports surrounding the negotiations claimed the proposal was worth six or seven times what was available to him elsewhere.

Zuffa therefore saw enough in Fisher’s popularity, aggressive style and potential to make a significant investment despite the questions left behind by his two fights with Allen.

The first ended in a controversial split decision for Fisher after Allen dropped him and appeared to do enough to win. Five months later, there was no debate when Allen battered Fisher before stopping him in the fifth round of their rematch.

Pirotton does not possess Allen’s profile in the United Kingdom. The Belgian arrives with a 12-2 record and six knockouts, and a defeat to an opponent with considerably less name recognition would be catastrophic for Fisher’s attempt to rebuild his career.

Zuffa Has Already Cut a Loser

Fisher also enters his debut knowing there is already evidence of how ruthless Zuffa can be when one of its fighters loses.

Former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk revealed that Zuffa terminated his contract via email following his knockout defeat to Radivoje Kalajdzic in February.

Despite dropping Kalajdzic twice before being stopped in the seventh round, Gvozdyk said his contract contained an option allowing Zuffa to release him following a defeat.

“They terminated the contract in February after a loss,” Gvozdyk told vRINGe.

“That is, they have the option that if a boxer loses, they have the right to terminate the contract. That’s exactly what they did.”

Everything Rests on Saturday

Fisher’s contractual situation is different because he has publicly described his initial Zuffa agreement as a one-fight deal. His current agreement ends after Saturday regardless of the result, leaving Zuffa to decide whether another deal is worth offering.

Losing his Zuffa debut to Pirotton, particularly by knockout, could therefore end this chapter before it has properly started.

White and the TKO hierarchy have already shown with Gvozdyk that status offers no guarantee of another opportunity after defeat. Fisher enters the promotion without Gvozdyk’s former world championship credentials and with questions about his ceiling still unanswered.

The Romford Bull has been handed a lucrative opportunity to prove that the Allen defeat was a setback rather than an indication of his level.

Another emphatic defeat would leave Zuffa with a major decision to make over whether Fisher remains part of its plans.

There is far more on the line at the Copper Box this weekend than simply securing Johnny Fisher’s second comeback win.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

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