Vitali Klitschko Epix Conference Call

Ahead of his fight tomorrow, WBC champion Vitali Klitschko was interviewed by Travis Pomposello from EPIX which will kick off 3 weeks of heavyweight boxing on EPIX and EPIXHD.COM starting with Vitali Klitschko (43-2, 40 KOs) vs Dereck Chisora (43-2, 40 KOs) tomorrow night at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany, then Alexander Povetkin vs Marco Huck the next, followed by Vitali's brother Wladimir vs Jean Marc Mormeck. The EPIX live telecast and the EpixHD.com live stream of Klitschko vs Chisora will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT.


Travis Pomposello: I’d like to start off by just taking a look back in time for EPIX. March 19th, 2011, EPIX launched its boxing program, with Vitali Klitschko defending his title against No. 1 contender Odlanier Solis, which was a real honor and privilege for us in our inaugural fight.

That fight, of course, didn’t go the way anybody wanted it to, especially Solis, and it’s a year later and we have the privilege of being back on the air with Vitali Klitschko defending his heavyweight title against Dereck Chisora, which is the kickoff, to our trilogy of heavyweight championship fights on three consecutive weekends.

When we aired our original fight on March 19th; although that fight you know didn’t last much more than a round, we really got our answer about starting a boxing program on EPIX by having over 100,000 people log in to watch the live stream of that fight in the U.S. on EpixHD.com. Here we are, a year later, strong in the boxing business, with these three heavyweight championship fights and having Vitali back on our air, just about a year later; defending his title and an opponent that we think will be a quality fight this time round.

Tom Loeffler: We’re really excited over here, being in Germany. We just had the open workout today, where Vitali and Dereck Chisora were both in the ring. It was a great turnout. There were over 1,000 people at the Mercedes dealership, here in Munich. It’s one of their flagship locations. And we had a couple hundred tickets left before the open workout and now it’s completely sold out. The capacity at the Olympiahalle over here; it’s the old Olympic stadium in Munich. It’s 12,500 and it’s completely sold out as of today.

So everyone’s excited about the fight. Everyone in Europe saw the fight that Dereck Chisora put on against Robert Helenius. In fact EPIX broadcast that fight live to the U.S., so there’s a lot of excitement. In fact, the way he fought against Helenius shows he’s a real challenger for the heavyweight title that Vitali holds.

Vitali’s proven himself with his knockout percentage and Vitali’s the type of fighter that doesn’t just win fights; he wins rounds. He rarely loses a round during a fight and he’s got such a high knockout percentage; he always brings a lot of excitement in the ring.

At this point though, I’d like to introduce another one of our K2 fighters. He’s fighting as the co-feature on the show and we’re excited that EPIX is also broadcasting his fight. It’s a 12-round heavyweight fight. It’s Jonathan Banks out of Detroit, Michigan. He’s defending his NABF title. Johnathan’s rated number 5 in the WBC and he’ll be fighting Nicolai Firtha from Akron, Ohio. So you have two U.S. fighters fighting over here and we’re excited about that fight as the co-feature on the show.

I’d like to introduce Jonathan at this point.

Jonathan Banks: I’m fighting on the feature on the undercard. I am looking forward to fighting on EPIX. This has been a great energy for me. I’ve been training off the EPIX energy since I heard about the fight and I’m looking forward to it.

Vitali Klitschko: Good morning, good afternoon; I don’t know what time it is now in the United States. Outside here in Munich it is so cold and snowing but it is a warm atmosphere. The arena is sold out and everybody is excited to see the fight Saturday night. Klitschko defends the title against Chisora and actually it is a pretty warm atmosphere. So many people are traveling from (all over the world); from United States, from Great Britain, from Russia and everybody is excited and everybody knows it will be a very interesting fight.

Q: What’s your motivation for this fight, because it seems clear that you’re the better fighter? What’s your motivation for this fight?

Vitali Klitschko: You know what (it’s by) the fighter. It’s a belief. (Please) don’t underestimate Chisora. He’s young, very aggressive; he’s very hungry and he wants to be World Champion very much. I was very impressed when I saw his last fight against Robert Helenius.

Before their fight everybody would talk about Helenius like he was the next world champion and yes, of course; I saw the last fight and everybody (loved) Chisora. Chisora may have lost the decision, but many experts who saw the fight, saw Chisora dominate the fight. He beat Helenius, but in split decision, Helenius won.

After this fight, I (called) to my manager and told him I want to fight this guy. This will be very good challenge for me. This will be really interesting fight for – not just for audience; but for me, because I need a challenge. And my thoughts, my opinion; I (can’t) fight a nobody. I need a challenge. I want to fight the strongest challenger and Chisora

I feel that; I smell that. He deserves my respect from Klitschko. He wants very much to be the world champion. I am giving him the chance and let’s see if he can use this chance or not.

Q: Have you changed anything about your training in preparation for this particular fight, because of how he did against Helenius in his last fight?

Vitali Klitschko: Yes, of course. I use different sparring partners and because Chisora has a totally different style than Sosnowski and Sosnowski was pretty fast, and has a different technique and that is (why) I changed my preparation. But believe me; I will be in good form. I understand how important this fight is and I understand it’s very dangerous. He’s very good fighter and I don’t want to make a mistake.

Q: I note this in the picture and the press conference between the two of you. I mean both of you are smiling and laughing and hugging each other like you were brothers and I notice that in all your other fights. What’s your view about all the challengers you face and how do you – are you friends? I mean do you like Chisora? Will that be – will that make it difficult for you to knock him out? But basically, what do you think about sportsmanship? How do you view your opponents and why are you so friendly in the press conferences?

Vitali Klitschko: All I know about Chisora is his professional career. He has a good chin, and he has good boxing quality. We make small talk. Chisora was friendly. It’s nothing personal; just business.

My career is just business, boxing, sports; nothing personal. And that’s why I smile at him.

Q: Vitali, I agree with the last caller; you have been a terrific champion, so congratulations on that. What do you think of the career you have had? How would you rate your career, the way it’s gone so far?

Vitali Klitschko: You know it’s difficult to say that now, because my career is not over. It’s – if I make – if I make (last) fight and (after) I retired, I can explain exactly about my career; I may call you. But right now, I try to do my best in my career. This was not easy; sometimes up, sometimes down. But anyway, for right now; what I mean right now is that all heavyweights need good opponents, good contenders, a good, a good fight.

And that is why I try to find fighters who have really good skills, who are very tough. The young guys don’t build big names, but they have good skills to become a champion. And one of them is Dereck Chisora; he is tough, young and aggressive, has a lot of very good technique, good chin and that is why I fight against the strongest ones. It’s what my career is about. It’s always very difficult to talk about myself. It’s you, as boxing experts, who know about that (maybe) better and you can be objective; much more objective than me.

Q: OK. That’s fair enough. So how much longer do you plan on fighting, Vitali?

Vitali Klitschko: I had a dream. I have a dream it’s always I had a dream because without dreams, life is boring. And I have my sport dream and I don’t want to talk about this dream. I am superstitious and that is why I don’t want to tell you about this dream. And this dream keeps me active in boxing and motivates me to keep going into the ring. But if you see my last fights, I have given a good performance, with good results and I knock out all of my opponents. I stopped everyone and that is why I am still active in sports and continuing my career.

Q: I was at your fight against Arreola and I know you dominated him, but in his last few fights, he’d lost a lot a weight and gotten himself in better shape. I know he’s the number 1 contender right now in the WBC. Would you like to fight him again?

Vitali Klitschko: Why not? Arreola is top fighter; it was very interesting fight in Los Angeles Staples Center and if Arreola can be ready for this fight, I would be happy to give him second chance.

Q: It seems like you haven’t really had a true challenge since

you fought Lennox Lewis in 2003. Do you see any true challenges out there on the heavyweight horizon? Chisora could possibly be a challenge, but you seem to have just breezed through your competition since then. Do you see anything on the horizon that excites you in this division?

Vitali Klitschko: You know (it) is – it’s very difficult to compare Arreola with Lennox Lewis. Lennox Lewis was a big star; he was big star. Right now, all the big stars have retired and Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson are not there, Lennox Lewis is not there. No big names and that’s why everyone from the new generation who challenge the Klitschkos gt stopped. Any moment there can be a new guy and he can be tough, and he can give us a tough challenge. And one of them is Dereck Chisora.

Q: Have you seen Seth Mitchell fight?

Vitali Klitschko: I’m sorry; I haven’t seen him fight.

Q: Mitchell is a young heavyweight; an American heavyweight who seems to be up and coming and could provide a challenge. But my question to you is does it make you feel a little bit sad that you have gone through your brilliant career for the last almost decade and have not really had a true challenge (and) the heavyweight division, with the exception of your brother, really has appeared to be somewhat barren. Does that sadden you at all?

Vitali Klitschko: You’re right and not. For a real challenge, it would have to be somebody who can beat a Klitschko. But we don’t give anyone a chance inside the ring; we leave no room for doubt that we are stronger than our opponents. That is why everybody is talking about a crisis in boxing because no can beat us.

No, it’s not crisis, although somebody told us the name of the crisis is the Klitschko Brothers, because nobody can beat the Klitschko Brothers. Everybody wants to see a new name rise up to a new challenge, where in any moment that someone from a younger generation who has good skills, who is very motivated and who doesn’t have fear can make a serious charge. And in my personal opinion, Dereck Chisora is big challenge for me I smell that in this fight.

This fight will be not easy. This fight will be a real good challenge for me and I will do my best to beat Dereck Chisora and yes. Every fighter needs time to build his name by fighting better opponents. That’s how my brother and I did it.

But anyone has a chance. We are ready to fight anyone in the heavyweight division and we’re doing that together (as brothers).

Q: My question for you is not so much about this specific fight, but I know, and we talked about it the other day, that you’re in your training camp, along with your brother, Wladimir, because you’re getting ready for your fight this weekend and he’s getting ready for a fight in very close proximity in two weeks.

And so since both of you have made it very clear, for obvious reasons, that you’re not going to fight each other; we all understand that. I wonder, when you’re sitting around with him and you’re talking and you’re in camp and you’re making conversation, do you ever compete with him or him with you from the standpoint where you may say OK, we’re not going to fight each other, but you know what? I’m going to knock out my opponent quicker than you’re going to knock out your opponent. Or I’m going to perform better against my guy than you will in your fight? And have, like do you keep score in that sense in – as a – since you’re not going to actually fight each other

Vitali Klitschko: It’s very good question. It’s always a competition; any sportsman, any fighter has a personal ego, sports ego. And that why the competition between us as two brothers; we have a competition. Who is better? Right now we work together; we work together in training camp and so yes. We try to play in training camp who is better at table tennis; ping-pong. Who is better? We swim – we swim.

I remember always when we were running, who will finish first? And right now we compete in the swimming pool and it’s always as (good) now as it was in the beginning of our career. Who needs less time to knock an opponent out? It’s a competition between two brothers. And we have big competitions but to be honest I have developed my skills by myself. My brother has a big talent in boxing and in sport.

I don’t want to fight him. I know my brother very well. He’s much more talented and right now he’s much younger than me; almost five years. And if we’re swimming in the swimming pool, other than a hairy chest, he’s much better than me. Sometimes in ping-pong, I beat him, but it is more difficult. Just one play where I’m dominate and that is chess.

But the competition between two brothers – it would be a great fight; one brother’s fight against another brother’s, but we promised our mom never do that and I love my brother so much and that why it’s never happened. So I’m sorry for all boxing fans. It’s my personal story and that why I can’t do that. But anyway, the competition between the two of us; we do that every day.

Q: And when you talk about the boxing aspect of things, did you every bring up the subject of you know OK you know I’m going to knock out Chisora faster than you’re going to knock out Mormeck or you know he says the other thing?

Vitali Klitschko: Oh, I forget to tell you. I totally dominate him by children. I make three of them, as Wladimir is almost 35. I dominate him three to zero.

Q: Vitali, I’m just wondering; do you think that Dereck Chisora is a better fighter than David Haye?

Vitali Klitschko: Oh, good question. Do you know what? It’s – right now, I tell you, he has exactly the same skills of David Haye, but David Haye was coming from cruiserweight. Dereck Chisora is a real heavyweight fighter and that why he has a much stronger punch and after the fight, I can give you a more exact answer. Right now, in my personal opinion; they both probably have the same (level) of skills.

Q: How do you expect Dereck Chisora to fight you differently than David Haye fought your brother? In other words, obviously, people expect him to try more than David Haye did, but what are your thoughts on that?

Vitali Klitschko: David Haye didn’t want to fight. He just kept running away from my brother. He didn’t come in to fight. I expect a better fight from Dereck Chisora. He’s actually fighter. He wants to go in and fight and to go the distance. He tries to challenge his opponent and I didn’t see that in the last fight between David Haye against Wladimir Klitschko. And that’s why they both have totally different styles. Dereck Chisora is more aggressive than David Haye.

Q: Do you expect David Haye to agree to fight you after, assuming you win this fight?

Vitali Klitschko: David Haye so unpredictable and we tried to make a deal and I hope the fight comes through, but right now we are miles apart from making the contract. Right now I don’t want to talk about it; I am focused totally to – for the Chisora fight and I hope that after Dereck Chisora, David Haye changes his mind and I can give a chance to David Haye to fight for world title.

Everyone, every fighter has a dream to fight for world title and I have a feeling I tell every time to David Haye, please fight me. Please fight for the world title; it’s the most prestigious title in the world. And then if he doesn’t want to do that, it’s OK. David Haye always tries to find excuses why fights do not happen. I hope David Haye one day makes a decision to fight me.

Q: You mentioned earlier that your career’s not over yet. So how many more times to do you plan to fight this year; in this calendar year?

Vitali Klitschko: The year’s just beginning. It’s first fight in this year, but definitely it will depend of my condition, depend of health and actually, I can do one or two fights more, if everything goes smoothly. I’ll give it my best; and hope, if everything is fine, returning to the ring in a couple of months.

Q: Assuming you know after the Chisora fight, how long are you going to give David Haye to sign a contract? Is there a drop-dead deadline or something like that?

Vitali Klitschko: I will have to wait to give you an answer for that. Right now, I’m totally focused on Dereck Chisora fight. After the Dereck Chisora fight, I will give you the answer for your question, but right now I’m not ready to talk about that.

Q: You’ve only fought once in United States since your comeback in 2000 and I just want to know if American fans have seen the last of Vitali Klitschko in the United States or if you do plan to come back over here again.

Vitali Klitschko: I’ll be happy to fight in the United States. My last fight was at Staples Center, in 2009. I’d be happy to fight in Staples Center, in Madison Square Garden… Just a couple of months ago I was in the United States and so many fans asked me exactly the same question.

It’s great to fight in Europe (and Soviet) world. I would be happy to fight in the United States, but for that to happen we need just one important point; a good American challenger.

Q: We’re both 40 years old. Do you think you’ll be around long enough to see a good enough American challenger to prompt you to come back to the United States? Or do you just think the American fans will eventually rally around you?

Vitali Klitschko: Chris Arreola is actually already number 1 in WBC rating, if we can talk about Chris Arreola again in Staples Center. Why not?

Q: People have been asking you about your future opponents. One guy that you talked about in the past that you really to fight; he hasn’t been around for a while, is Nikolai Valuev. Have you still got any wish to fight him at some point, if you could talk him into it?

Vitali Klitschko: Nikolai Valuev is a member of Russian parliament right now. I received an official answer from Nikolai. He’s retired and doesn’t want to fight anymore. It would be very interesting fight. It’s very interesting, the way I have to find sparring partners for the fights and he’s actually – I am – I’m 6’ 7”, but Nikolai Valuev, 6’ 9”.

Q: Six-eleven, (actually).

Vitali Klitschko: Six-eleven; sorry. He’s 6’ 11” and I never fought against anyone so big and this fight would be interesting for me, for the audience, especially since Nikolai looks so impressive. But I have bad news. Nikolai doesn’t want to fight anymore because he has retired.

Q: Well you could have a fight between the two politicians if you could talk him into it, so it would be really interesting. You’re involved in politics as well.

Vitali Klitschko: You’re right; you’re right. For that, I would have to be a member of the Ukrainian parliament. Maybe next year, I will be a member and after that we can come back to this question with one member of Russian parliament; one (inaudible) fight against another one. This of course is joke. But anyway, I have a dream to fight Nikolai, but you know he decided, because of an injury, because of his hip – a lot of injuries and he decided to retire. And I am full of respect for him and I wish Nikolai a lot of luck in his political career.

Vitali Klitschko: Thank you very much everybody. Thank you very much for your questions. Thank you very much for following the Klitschko Brothers’ career. I wish for everyone who sees the fight on Saturday night a lot of enjoyment from it. I feel that this fight will be one of the most interesting of my fight career. I have really good challenger and it will be very good fight and I hope this will be a real big battle in heavyweight division.

Have a nice day and we see each other Saturday night.

Travis Pomposello: EPIX is really looking forward to kicking off this heavyweight championship trilogy with two EPIX alumni – defending champion Vitali Klitschko versus Dereck Chisora. And you know like the champ said many times, we think this is a very interesting and competitive fight and it’ll be a lot of fun for U.S. fans to see.

Klitschko Interview For BoxNation

In this video WBC World Heavyweight Champion Vitali Klitschko talked exclusively to BoxNation's Jim Rosenthal about his upcoming title defense against Britain's Dereck Chisora on February 18th..

Klitschko Brothers Ringside Interview

This is a new interview video with the Klitschko brothers and heavyweight boxing champions Wladimir and Vitali on Ringside after Wladimir defeated David Haye to claiim the 4th and final belt for the Klitschko family.  Enjoy!

Klitschko Talks About Win Over Solis

This is a short video clip of Vitali Klitschko where he discusses his TKO win over Odlanier Solis on Saturday, March 19th. There had been alot of controversy over how the win actually happened and this is Vitali's viewpoint on the situation.

Klitschko Briggs Fight Video

This is the full fight video for the WBC heavyweight championship fight that happened last night in Germany between WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (41-2, 38 KOs) and Shannon Briggs (51-6-1, 45 KOs). 

Klitschko Briggs Rounds 1 - 3

Klitschko Briggs Rounds 4 - 6

Klitschko Briggs Rounds 7 - 9

Klitschko Briggs Rounds 10 - 12

Klitschko Briggs Decision and Interviews

Vitali Klitschko Interview At WBC Night of Champions

Vitali Klitschko recently attended the WBC Night of Champions which is a event where champions from around the world attend and they have many activities including amateur boxing and much more that ended yesterday. Klitschko was one of the main guests for the event was interviewed right before a luncheon and this is how it went. Here's how it went:


Vitali, welcome to Cardiff, Wales. How are you finding your time here?

This is actually my second time in Cardiff. It’s a very historical city, very nice people. This is a very great event, the WBC Night of Champions. I’m very happy to be here and take part in this event.

Last night after the amateur boxing event, you spent some time with troubled youths through the World Boxing Cares organization. Jill Diamond said the kids were so excited to meet you. How did that make you feel?

It’s great to spend time with the young kids. They have a dream. What the WBC did, putting all the champions together in Cardiff is a big motivation for young sportsmen to reach big goals. To have a dream to be world champion, not just in amateur sports, but the same as Muhammad Ali in professional sports.

Tonight there will be an awards banquet at which you’ll be receiving an award. What can you tell us about that?

I know it will be “Champion of the Year,” it’ll be the second time. I’m very proud of that and the attention that I receive from the WBC.

There is a contract for you to fight Shannon Briggs in October. You reclaimed the title back in October of 2008. If everything goes to plan with this fight, that will be your sixth fight in exactly two years, a pretty active pace for a heavyweight champion these days. Are you happy with that average of fighting every four months?

You know what? We don’t have a contract with Shannon Briggs. We have negotiations. We’re in a negotiation period. Shannon Briggs… it’s possible that I fight him, but it’s not 100%. But anyway, I’m ready to fight any fighter in the world. I’m open for a proposal from anyone. We gave a proposal to Adamek- Adamek doesn’t want to fight. We gave a proposal to David Haye- David Haye kept his mouth closed. He doesn’t speak any more about that. Valuev wants to fight, but he wants money. World sports title is not interesting for him. I’m open to defend my title against anyone and show everyone that I’m the strongest in the world. I’m very proud to have the same title that Muhammad Ali had many years ago. I will try to keep this title as long as possible. About the breaks…I had a long line of injuries, but the break for three years made me better, and now I have a lot of power and show good results. That’s why I’ve been so active these last two years. I feel great. I feel like I’m twenty years old! Sometimes I forget I’m almost forty years old! (laughs)

Since you’ve come back, you haven’t seemed to have a tough time with any of your opponents. I know you don’t want to discredit any of your opponents, but you’ve been able to do as you wanted with them. Are you looking forward to having a tougher challenge from your next opponent?

Nothing is easy in life. Every opponent was a very tough guy. They try to hit me, try to beat me, but right now, I don’t see anybody who can beat me. There is just one person- Me! I can beat me by myself!

Do you feel the difference has been your skill level and training has been so much better than your opponents?

I have my boxing skills. That is the main point. Not just in boxing, but in life- I have a lot of experience. I have a lot of experience in boxing and I use my experience in the fight.

Recently Ross Greenburg of HBO has said that HBO is out of the heavyweight business- either due in part to the fact that you and your brother are mostly fighting in Europe, or the fights are against opponents American fans haven’t heard of, or the fans can’t tell you and Wladimir apart. What are yo thought in Greenburg’s comments?

(Big smirk) If I read these comments from Ross Greenburg, I smile because it’s not easy to give the answer. (Asking incredulously) Nobody knows who Vitali is, or who Wladimir is? Boxing fans can’t tell the difference between the brothers and that’s why HBO doesn’t broadcast the fights? (Shaking his head). All around the world people know who Wladimir is, and who Vitali is. We fill stadiums with 50-60,000 people. We have great (viewership) on German television. After that, the next excuse is- Klitschkos are fighting not so good opponents. We’re ready to fight anyone. Just challenge us. If HBO…actually, I am very disappointed. We live for the media. The media connects us to our fans and our fans want to see the fights. First of all, Ross Greenburg said Wladimir’s fight against Povetkin would be broadcast on HBO. After that he changed his mind. HBO is very important to us and we want to stay attached to the boxing audience in the United States. You know what? If the United States doesn’t play in soccer world championship, it means it will not be broadcast in the United States. If the United States doesn’t take part in the Olympics, it doesn’t get broadcast in the United States. This is the heavyweight division. These are very interesting fights. I’m very proud to have the highest rating in the history of knockouts (as heavyweight champion). Every fight, I stop my opponent. The boxing audience wants to see that and assume HBO will broadcast it. If HBO doesn’t want to do that, we will work with another network in America.

Regardless, are you happy with the way the careers of you and Wladimir are going?

We’ll still go forward. We have a dream: to be the only brothers to hold all the heavyweight championships. Right now, we have three of the four belts. We have a dream to take the last one that David Haye has. But to be honest, David Haye is smart enough to understand that he has a title. He’ll have it a long time if he doesn’t meet a Klitschko brother in side the ring. It’s a big risk for him. That’s why he challenges us, but he runs away from me or from Wladimir.


In order to achieve that dream, do yo think the Klitschkos will do what every it takes, financial or otherwise, to get Haye in the ring to have the chance to get that elusive fourth belt?

We gave a very fair proposal: 50-50. We split the money 50-50. We’re two world champions. Everyone wants to see a unification fight. One champion against another champion. Who is the strongest in the world? Is David Haye? Be honest! I feel that all boxing fans know- David Haye is afraid. Just afraid…not to fight, but to lose his title!

As far as Valuev goes- you’ve both traded videos back and forth- you claiming he’s afraid, his claiming he’s not afraid. Do you really believe that, or do you feel it’s more a financial issue, especially with Don King involved?

Don King doesn’t want it. Or Valuev doesn’t want it. I gave Valuev a chance to fight for $1,500,000 U.S. dollars and for the most prestigious title in the world. That’s the biggest money that he’ll make in his career. He doesn’t want it. He wants more money and explains about T.V. rights, and this and that. I, as world champion, have to come to him and asked him, “Please fight against me.” It’s funny. Never in the history of the world has a champion had to come to challenger to ask him to fight for the title.

Well Vitali, thanks for talking to Fightnews.com (link to article here) and good luck against whoever your next opponent is in October.

I will give my very best to show a good performance. I am sure the American audience will see the fight. This will be a very emotional and dramatic fight. I will give my best to knock my opponent out and send him to the floor. That’s what boxing fans want to see!


Afterwords, there was a luncheon and Briggs and Vitali talked and said the following:

Briggs told Klitschko, “Whether or not we fight, I want to play you in chess.” Vitali responded with raised eyebrows, “Oh, how long have you been playing chess?” Briggs proudly replied, “Twenty seven years. I’m thirty-eight-years-old, so since I was eleven!” To that the two shook hands and gave fans another potential heavyweight battle: the heavyweight championship of chess!

Vitali Klitschko Interview After Sosnowski Fight

This is a interview of the WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko after his fight with Albert Sosnowski.. This is a translation so it's not perfect.

During the fight I had the impression that you became a bit tired and decided it was "time to finish"

Vitali: Tired? I don't think so. I'm in such good shape I could box even 25 rounds. I wasn't tired. The one who became tired was rather Sosnowski so I decided: "It's time to finish him."

Was it your plan for the fight not to be in a hurry and..

Vitali: Why should I hurry? I had 12 rounds, I was sure that I can finish the fight until the 11th round.

I had an impression it was quite hard for you to enter this fight in the first round.

Vitali: Yes, but it wasn't an easy rival. I want to repeat once more: Sosnowski is a good fighter. NObody becomes the European champion by mistake after all. He's young and win-starved. He did everything to win but it turned out to be insufficient to beat me.

We saw that Sosnowski hit you powerfully in the third, fifth, and eighth rounds. Did you have even one hard moment in the bout?

Vitali: I didn't have any hard moments but the rival was constantly attacking. He has a dangerous punch. He is quite a powerful sportsman. Every one of his blows is menacing and can finish a bout however, I wasn't hit by such a blow.

Today we inquired after your new contract with RTL. What could you say about it?

Vitali: This is a extension of our previous contract.

If you were able to choose your next opponent who would it be: Valuev, Haye?

Vitali: It makes no difference. However, I'd prefer Haye because he has a belt which me and my brother lack.

How probable is the contest against Haye?

Vitali: I'm ready. Haye makes alot of announcements but apart from it, he should know how to enter the ring. He can't decide to enter the ring until now.

What do you think about the future of Sosnowski in the heavyweight division?

Vitali: He showed his character. I'm convinced that he won a lot in this fight despite the defeat. He won fondness of the audience and those people who supported him previously. Everyone can see: he's a serious fighter with an interesting future ahead of him. He can also get more experience. I'm convinced that he'll receive a chance to fight for a world title again.

Recently Don King said that the contest Vitali Klitschko , Nicolai Valuev simply must happen. Do you still believe in it?

Vitali: It's very hard to sit at one table with Don King and negotiate. People are interested in this fight. I would like this battle to happen in the foreseeable future.

Don King signed a contract with Andriy Kotelnik: How could you comment on that?

Vitali: Don King is a shark. I can express only my sympathy for Andriy Kotelnik. He signed a contract.. Do you know the saying about Don King? His hair stand so as to cover his horns. That's why he has this kind of hairstyle. Kotelnik will find out who's the person he signed the contract with.

Does Don King lead Andriy to a slaughter making him fight against Devon Alexander?

Vitali: Let's not look ahead. I can tell you one thing: I don't even know one sportsman who remained happy after the end of a contract with Don King.

Here's the video of the Vitali Klitschko interview...

Klitschko Q & A Ahead Of Johnson Fight

Current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KOs) was recently interviewed ahead of his fight with Kevin Johnson (22-0-1, 9 KOs) which will take on December, 12th at the Post Finance Arena in Berne, Switzerland. Here's the interview...

Vitali, you’ve just scored a victory on September 26th against Chris Arreola, and you’ve already taken on a fight on December 12th versus Kevin Johnson. Doesn’t it frighten you to have two big fights in such a close amount of time?

No, I am physically fine, and because of that, it doesn’t bother me at all to have fights so close together. My preparation time for a fight is about 8 weeks, and as long as I get that, all is in order.

Not much is known about Johnson. Why did you choose this fight?

Johnson and Arreola both have an excellent record, and are dangerous fighters. At heavyweight all you need is one strong punch to win a fight. I’m not going to underestimate him, but at the same time, I’m not going to overestimate him. I can, and will, protect this belt.

This is an unusual venue for your match. More often, you fight in Germany, and you just came back from fighting in America. Now Switzerland?

My brother and I have been invited to fight in Switzerland for a long time now, and Wladimir and I usually prepare for our fights not far from that region, so I’m glad I finally have the chance to hold a bout there.

There are rumors that the WBC president, Jose Sulaiman, has inquired about you fighting in Mexico…

I haven’t heard too much about this, but believe me, it would really be worth it. I’m ready to discuss such an opportunity. It’d be great to fight in Mexico.

When will the Klitschko brothers own all of the world championship titles?

It’s just a matter of time. Believe me, Wladimir and I will do all that is possible to make that happen.

What did you think of David Haye vs Nikolay Valuev?

I congratulate Haye! He won that fight deservingly.

Would you want to fight Haye?

Yes, now that he is a world champion, he is interesting to my brother and I. I hope that now he won’t be able to cancel any fights against us. After Johnson, I am ready to sit down at the negotiating table.

You’re 38-years-old, but you leave the impression that you have many more years of fighting to go. Do you wish to surpass George Foreman’s record?

No, I don’t want to pass up George Foreman. I won’t box until I’m 45-years-old, but I still have more fights that I need to finish in my career.

Source from Fightnews

Tags: Vitali Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko Opponents, Vitali Klitschko Interview, interviews, Klitschko Interviews, Klitschko Blog, klitschkoblog.com

Klitsckho Arreola Post Fight Interviews

These are the post fight interview videos by Larry Merchant with Vitali Klitschko as he retained his WBC heavyweight title and with Chris Arreola as he came up short in a valiant effort.

Klitschko Post Fight Interview

Arreola Post Fight Interview

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Vitali Klitschko ESPN Interview

This is a new video interview courtesy of ESPN of the current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko ahead of his showdown with the WBC #1 heavyweight Chris Arreola this Saturday, September 26th at the Staples Center.

Tags: Vitali Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko Opponents, Vitali Klitschko Interview, Vitali Klitschko Videos, Videos, interviews

Klitschko Quotes From Jim Rome Show

Yesterday, the WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko was on the Jim Rome show and had alot to say about his upcoming fight with Chris Arreola on September 26th, Lennox Lewis, his comeback, and about fighting his brother Wladimir. Here

Vitali Klitschko: “This fight will be very interesting because Cris Arreola is the (WBC) No. 1 contender. He is undefeated, very young, very tough fighter. Right now, I have to defend my world title against the next generation. I am not the youngest one in the heavyweight division. I am already 38 years old, but I feel very good. I have a lot of experience and I am preparing right now for Sept. 26 to show all boxing fans a good performance. Of course, everyone wants a very good fight, especially with two fighters with a very high knockout percentage. The fight will not go all 12 rounds, which means it will be a knockout for one side or the other. I’ll give my best to keep my title as long as possible, and that means I’ll give my best to send my opponent to the floor..”

Rome: Talk about the challenges that he (Arreola) presents with his brawling style.

“As world champion, I have to be ready to defend my title against any fighter with many different styles. I have a lot of experience. You can’t buy experience at the store. Experience you take with age. That’s why most fighters in the heavyweight division have good results after 20 years old.

Vitali Klitschko: “I’m 6-foot-7, Cris Arreola is 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4. He’s actually a little bit heavier than me and a little bit shorter. He’s a big puncher with very good combinations. I have to be ready for all 12 rounds, which means I need very good conditioning. I try to work in long distance, but I have to be ready for very short distance. I have to be ready to find the mistakes of my opponents and use the mistake to send my opponent to the floor.

“Cris Arreola is not the same height as me. When I fought Lennox Lewis in 2003, he was the same height as me. Usually, my opponents are a little bit shorter than me. I’ve developed my strategy and my plan for the fight and I want to present my strategy in the fight on Sept. 26.”

Rome: You mentioned Lennox Lewis and that fight in 2003. Many had you winning that fight but you suffered that devastating cut. Do you find yourself looking back to that fight and what happened that night?

Vitali Klitschko: “I appreciate it, Lennox Lewis gave me a chance to prove my skills against the strongest fighter in the world, Lennox Lewis, the legend. He was very strong. I’ve never got (been hit with) as many punches as in the Lennox fight. It was not an easy fight. Everybody thought I was ahead on the scorecards, but I had a huge cut above my eye and the doctor stopped the fight. I’m more that sure that if the doctor didn’t stop the fight I’d have given my best to beat Lennox because it was my goal and dream to be world champion.

“Lennox Lewis inside the ring promised to give me a rematch, and in the next fight I had a very impressive knockout. Lennox thought about it, discussed with his family and decided to announce his retirement. Everybody wanted a second fight against Lennox Lewis, but right now Lennox Lewis is in retirement and I have to fight other fighters from the new generation.”

Rome:He seems to be the one guy that when he retired, he stayed retired. In the back of your mind, do you hold out hope that maybe you could still fight him? Have you ever engaged him in the conversation to get him to come out of retirement and fight him once again?

Vitali Klitschko: “I’ve talked to Lennox Lewis. I tell him, ‘Lennox, keep your word. You’re a gentleman. If you promised me (a rematch), you have to keep your word.’ One time, he invited me to his office in London and said, ‘I want to talk to you directly, no lawyers, no managers, just you and me.’ I came to his office and in the room was Lennox Lewis and his mom. I talked to Lennox for one hour, his mom looked at me and scanned his eyes for a long time. It was very funny. After that discussion, the next day Lennox Lewis called me and said, ‘you know what, I don’t want to fight you.’ It’s my personal opinion that that wasn’t the opinion of Lennox Lewis, but the opinion of his mom.”

Rome:When you came back (from four year retirement), how much rust was there to knock off and what was it like getting your skills back again?

Vitali Klitschko: “Almost four years I spent on recovery. I felt good; I took medical exams and decided to come back. I fought against world champion Samuel Peter, I stopped him in eight rounds and I took my title back. You know what? It’s always a huge motivation to make your dream come true. I had a dream with my brother to be the world champion, I did that. Right now, we have three world titles and we almost control the heavyweight division. I hope in the next couple of months we will take the last heavyweight title for our family. It’s not easy, but it’s our dream. I enjoy making my dreams come true.”

Rome: It seems incomprehensible to me that you would ever decide to fight your brother. I can’t imagine there’s any amount of money in the world that would get you to consider fighting him. But, did you and Wladimir ever discuss it for even one second and say, ‘could we possibly do this?’

Vitali Klitschko: “Of course, everyone wants to know who is the strongest heavyweight fighter? Right now, my brother has two titles. He’s world champion, I’m world champion. Yes, of course, the question is who is the strongest between the two brothers. Many people want to see the fight, Wladimir Klitschko vs. Vitali Klitschko, and who is the strongest one. It’s not a secret that the main goal in boxing is to send your opponent to the floor as quickly as possible.

“The closest person in the world to me is my brother. He’s not just a friend, he’s not just my brother, he’s a very close friend of mine. I like him so much and I don’t want to fight him. Our mom is very nervous when one of her sons fights. Can you imagine if our mom knew that one son was fighting against another one? Maybe one son knocks out another one. It’s too much pressure for our mom, and, to be honest, we don’t want to break our mom’s heart. This way, we play chess, we play table tennis, but we won’t fight.”

Source

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Klitschko LA Workout Video

This past Wednesday the WBC Heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko held an open media workout in Los Angeles, CA as he gets ready to defend his title against Chris Arreola on September 26th at The Staples Center in L.A. Pound4Pound was on hand to capture the days showcasing an interview and Vitali working. Here's the video to check out..

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Klitschko Ready For Chris Arreola

The current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko was interviewed recently ahead of his WBC heavyweight title clash with the WBC #1 Chris Arreola, and says he is ready to fight Chris Arreola.

"I am ready for the fight against Chris Arreola. I am prepared very good. I feel good and this will be good fight...this will be artistic fight. I will try to show all my skills."

Here is a video of the interview...

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Klitschko Interview After Press Conference

In this new video, Vitali Klitschko was interviewed about 40 minutes after his 1st press conference with Chris Arreola for his championship fight this September 26th at the Staples Center in LA, CA.

Vitali talks about Chris' shape and how skills are more important coming into this fight. He was also asked if he Arreola was the size and height he expected and Vitali said yes, and talked about how he has been in large venues whereas Arreola has not.

Vitali Klitschko Interview

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Klitschko's Backstage on Wetten Dass

This is video footage of the Klitschko brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko being interviewed while they were backstage Wetten Dass, which is a popular European German language game and entertainment tv show.

*in German

Vitali Klitschko Interview After Gomez

After retaining his WBC heavyweight championship belt last Saturday night against Juan Carlos Gomez, Vitali Klitschko was interviewed and talked about his satisfaction with his fight and his brother Wladimir working on getting the fight with David Haye finalized, which appears to be imminent in being done.

Klitshcko's manager Bernd Bonte. was also interviewed and he said that details of the fight with Haye should be done this week, but the fight is not going to happen in the UK. Most likely the fight will take place in Germany.

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V. Klitschko Interview Ahead Of Gomez Fight

This is a recent interview with current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko speaking with Eurosport ahead of his fight on March 21st against WBC #1 ranked contender Juan Carlos Gomez.



How are you preparing for the fight against Cuban boxer Juan Carlos Gomez on March 21 in Stuttgart?

I've been at a training camp in the Austrian town of Going - in the Tyrol - with my coach Fritz Sdunek, where I've started with my fitness training. At the moment I'm doing a lot of sparring and working on my quickness and defence. I've also been going swimming and playing a bit of table tennis.


Why are you based in Going?

In the last few years I've prepared for a lot of fights in Going, and I feel very good here. I've got really used to the atmosphere and the hotel, which is very important. There are ideal training conditions in the Stanglwirt Hotel, so there's no reason for me to change training camps.

You are 37 and have overcome numerous severe injuries. Is your body still able to cope with this stress? Are you feeling your age catching up with you?

No - I am absolutely fit and feel very good. The preparations for the fight are perfectly on plan. I can't wait to get in the ring to fight Juan Carlos.

Your next opponent is a familiar one for you as you once knocked him out while sparring together, and your coach Fritz Sdunek used to train him so he knows all about his weaknesses. Does that mean there's no way that anything could go wrong?

Absolutely right, I already know Juan Carlos Gomez. But then again, that was some time ago and since then he's improved a lot. He's become number one in the WBC ranking and is anything but an easy opponent. He's experienced, quick and unpleasant. I definitely won't underestimate him.


You've never been knocked out during your career and have only had to retire twice because of injuries. Are you ever afraid of being hurt by a lucky punch?

In a title fight anything can happen. You always have to be fully focused and can't afford even a moment of weakness. Any fighter can land a lucky punch: they are all professionals.

How important is mental strength?

It's very important. You have to know your strengths and be able to rely on them and simply believing that you will win the fight gives you a big advantage before the bell goes for the first round.

Would you have preferred to fight David Haye or Nikolai Valuev?

It's no secret that I wanted to fight another opponent, but the association has insisted that I fight against Gomez first. I've got to concentrate fully on this fight.

The heavyweight division is dominated by the Klitschko brothers. Are there any other boxers out there for the pair of you to fear?

A Klitschko doesn't need to fear anyone.... but there are heavyweight boxers out there who are very strong. They are Haye, Valuev, Ruslan Chagaev and Chris Arreola.

How important is it to have your brother Vladimir around you when you're in the ring?

It's enormously important that he supports me. When I'm fighting I only hear two voices: his, and that of my coach. I can't imagine fighting without him around.

What will you do if you lose against Gomez? Will you retire from boxing?

I will not lose!
**Interview with Eurosport

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Vitali Klitschko Talks Brother Fighting Haye

This is a quick interview from Setanta Sports with WBC heavyweight champion "Dr. Ironfist" Vitali Klitschko in which he discusses his brother Wladimir being the brother who will face David "Hayemaker" Haye this year.

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Klitschko's Want All The Belts

After Vitali Klitschko recaptured his WBC heavyweight championship belt last Saturday October, 11th, both Vitali and his brother Wladimir have 3 of the 4 main championship belts. Wladimir holds the IBF and WBO belts. The only belt that's not in the Klitschko family is the WBA belt which is held by Nicolai Valuev. It should be noted that this is the 1st time in history that 2 brothers held versions of the heavyweight title together.

The WBA champion in recess is Ruslan Chagaev since he had his belt stripped for not being able to fight within the obligated time frame and should be a mandatory for Valuev to fight. None-the-less the Klitschko's want this final belt, and Vitali may choose to fight Nicolai. Here's a recent video of Vitali talking about such matters.

Vitali Klitschko Interview After Recapturing WBC Belt

In this live video, "Dr. Ironfist" Vitali Klitschko talks to Setanta Sports after his amazing performance last Saturday night when he recaptured the WBC belt from Sam Peter after an almost 4 year layoff. Topics include the ring entrance, future fight plans, etc.