Bernd Bönte on Wladimir Klitschko: From meeting him for the first time to their world career together – in our new special, the long-time manager looks back on formative moments, major victories and the personality behind the champion.
I still remember the first time I met Wladimir and his brother Vitali, in 1996 on the sidelines of the world championship fight between Graciano Rocchigiani and Dariusz Michalczewski in Hamburg’s Millerntor Stadium. At the time, I was head of the boxing editorial team at “Premiere” and commented on the duel live from ringside. Promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl had signed the Klitschkos to Universum and introduced them to me that evening.
A few years later, I became Wladimir and Vitali’s manager, and in 2007 the three of us founded Klitschko Management Group GmbH. I worked with Wladimir for a total of 18 years, during which time he was world champion for almost ten years without interruption. A unique boxing career.
We have experienced so many great moments together and it is difficult to highlight just a few of them. One of the biggest highlights was definitely the …
