Wladimir Klitschko opened the door to a return to boxing when the war between Russia and Ukraine ends: the record he dreams of breaking

The last two defeats in Vladimir Klitschko's professional career were against top opponents: Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. The Ukrainian boxer is currently in his home country where he is part of the army that is defending the territory against the invasion of Russia. In the midst of the war, the boxer admitted that he could make a return to the rings but only when the war is over and there is no longer the threat from Putin.

The 46-year-old, who was the world heavyweight champion for 11 years, retired in August 2017 following his defeat to Anthony Joshua at Wembley earlier that year. Since then, the Ukrainian has stayed away from sports and after Russia invaded his homeland in February he joined the Kiev Territorial Defense in response to the attack.

However, in an interview with German media BILD following Tyson Fury's victory over Dillian Whyte on Saturday night, Klitschko, whose brother Vitali is also a former world champion and is now mayor of the Ukrainian capital, says he hasn't ruled out putting on his gloves once again. “I also learned that despite the war, you shouldn't forget life. Sport is part of my life. I am delighted that Fury won,” he revealed.

And he added about the desire to put on his gloves again: “Who knows, here I don't want to promise anything big, but if I am in good shape and, above all, that the war in Ukraine will end soon and that our borders exist without any invasion from Russia, then, in the end, who knows?” . Klitschko added that he could embark on his “dream of breaking George Foreman's record of being the oldest heavyweight world champion in history.”

“That motivates me to get up every day and play sports. Everyone has their own motivation. I don't want to break a jaw, I want to break a record. I said that before the war. And during the war it is about peace in Ukraine and when peace comes, we will talk about it again,” Vladimir closed the topic with a view to a future return to boxing. It is worth remembering that Foreman became world champion in November 1994 at the age of 45 after beating Michael Moorer.

Fury ended Klitschko's 11-year reign as world champion in November 2015 when The Gypsy King surprised by beating the Iron Fist by unanimous decision by points in Germany. A rematch between the protagonists did not materialize while Tyson struggled with mental health issues and Klitschko made the decision to hang up the gloves after a memorable back-and-forth match against Joshua in London in 2017.

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