On November 28, 2015, in Düsseldorf, Germany, Wladimir Kliltschko crossed the ropes to face Tyson Fury. He seemed confident that he would once again emerge a winner, as thought the majority of boxing fans as well as analysts. This time, they were wrong.
As the bout-ending bell rang, it was clear that a UD was going to go to the new world champion Tyson Fury. While the entire fight seemed lackluster and undeserving of the hype that it had received, Fury seemed more engaged and aggressive than Klitschko.
Despite the fact that it has been a long time since Wladimir put on a thrilling performance, he is nonetheless usually able to control the entire fight with his long, reaching, thundering jab. This time around, the boxer across the ring had all that was required to win the fight: motivation and great movement for a tall heavyweight.
A rematch clause was of course part of the contract, and as reported earlier, it will be honored. But before the rematch takes place, it looks as though Wladimir has a lot of psychological healing to do.
“Physically it doesn’t hurt anymore. Luckily I left the ring with just a few cuts, and no other injuries. But inside, there is still plain. I have a big ego. My ego is my engine, and it is struggling from defeat,” stated Klitschko in a recent interview.
After staying on top for so long, it’s no surprise that emotional damage was done. Finding motivation, the raw drive, might be a tricky thing for the Ukainian heavyweight. It only seems natural for one to start questioning their abilities after a loss.
It is also worth noting that Wladimir is not very good at preserving his self esteem after defeat. When he lost to Lamon Brewster in 2007, it took quite some time for the great Emanuel Steward to bring some confidence back to Klitschko while they walked Times Square.
Having said all that, Wladimir is not looking for any excuses: “I really was in the best physical shape. But if there is no balance to the physical and the physiological, you will struggle. I never engaged in the fight. I analyzed the reason for this, and I know what I need to do in the future. The result of the rematch will be different,” concluded Klitschko.