Wladimir Klitschko

How it started.

Wladimir began boxing at 14. In an early interview, he recalled first imagining a future in military or medical school, then discovering that sport could open up the world through travel. His breakthrough came with Olympic super-heavyweight gold for Ukraine in Atlanta in 1996.

Building a heavyweight career.

He turned professional in Hamburg in November 1996 and won his first world title against Chris Byrd in October 2000. Later title unifications against Sultan Ibragimov and David Haye brought together the IBF, WBO and WBA belts. His final bout was the 2017 Wembley fight with Anthony Joshua, where both men hit the canvas before Joshua won in round 11. He announced his retirement that August.

Lessons beyond the ring.

Klitschko founded Klitschko Ventures in 2016 and developed FACE the Challenge with his team to share his approach to willpower. He and Tatjana Kiel published a book about the method in 2020. Their later writing includes Gestohlene Leben, about Ukrainian children taken to Russia, and the 2026 children’s book Stark sein, written with Andrea Weller-Essers.