Boxing mogul Turki Al-Sheikh has fueled rumors of a comeback for pugilist legend Wladimir Klitschko – the Saudi dreams of a Klitschko fight against an old rival.
“A lot of people” were waiting for the result of the rematch between heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21 in Riyadh, said Al-Sheikh on DAZN. “One is Daniel Dubois (IBF world champion; editor’s note). Another is Anthony Joshua. And at the same time, there’s someone else.” If the influential boxing string-puller from the Saudi kingdom is referring to former world champion Wladimir Klitschko, 48 years old and retired from boxing in 2017.
Al-Sheikh envisions a comeback for the Ukrainian if Fury wins against Usyk. The Brit ended Klitschko’s almost ten-year heavyweight reign with a unanimous points victory in Düsseldorf at the end of 2015. Klitschko only fought one more fight after that: in April 2017, “Dr. Steelhammer” lost to Joshua in London after an epic battle by technical knockout in round eleven.
“Everyone wants to see it again”
“I dream of seeing this fight, if he (Fury) accepts it, to give him the chance to become the oldest heavyweight champion of the world,” said Al-Sheikh about a rematch between Fury and Klitschko. “That’s perfect.” A Klitschko comeback against Fury is “the dream”, said the Saudi. “Everyone wants to see it again from 2015,” claimed Al-Sheikh.
Watch the Klitschko vs. Fury 2015 highlights here:
Wladimir Klitschko had repeatedly flirted with a return in recent years, citing George Foreman’s record as his goal. The US American became boxing champion of all classes once again in 1995 at the age of almost 46.
The “Daily Mail” revealed Klitschko’s comeback plan last week. According to this, he wanted to challenge IBF world champion Dubois in Riyadh in February. However, talks about this were broken off – probably also due to the deterrent example of Mike Tyson. According to information from sport.de Klitschko was actually definitely planning to return after a break of almost eight years. However, the negotiations fell through because the Saudi organizers around boxing mogul Turki Al-Sheikh feared a sporting disaster à la Tyson, whose most recent comeback at 58 against influencer Jake Paul flopped in sporting terms.
Axel Schulz criticizes Klitschko plans
Axel Schulz takes a critical view of the comeback considerations surrounding Klitschko. A return to the ring would be “personally a nice incentive for his former conqueror – so why not?”, he said in an interview with sport.de. “But to box for a world championship right after an eight-year break, I think that’s crazy.”
It was unacceptable for a boxer to be allowed to fight for a title straight after such a long period of abstinence. “That ruins boxing and drags the whole sport down,” criticized Schulz. If Klitschko does come back, “he should first have two or three build-up fights” to see if he is still up to it, advised the 56-year-old.
Schulz himself had a bad comeback experience in 2006. After a seven-year break, he lost on his return to the ring against the US American Brian Minto by technical knockout in the sixth round.
Text: Martin Armbruster / This article first appeared on sport.de
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