Interview with Dr. Vitali Klitschko

By Fabian Weber

29.08 - Munich – Three days prior to the comeback fight of Wladimir Klitschko at Munich’s Olympic Arena Boxing.de met his brother Dr. Vitali Klitschko in his spacious suite in the Arabella Sheraton Hotel.

Vitali Klitschko, former WBO world champion and since June 21 the living nightmare of Lennox Lewis, was just busy trying to erase a Blaster worm virus from his Powerbook (a birthday gift from his brother Wladimir).

Somewhere in between installing, rebooting and cursing his computer the 32-year-old Ukrainian took some time and gave us an exclusive interview.

Vitali, I apologize for interfering in your computer session…

Vitali Klitschko: No problem. Together with my computer expert I will soon free my notebook from that worm. Yesterday I received an email, and once I opened it the damage was all done. As soon as I restart Windows the whole system is hanging up.

Your brother currently has different problems. He will make a comeback on Saturday. Is Wladimir ready?

Yes. Wladimir is absolutely ready for his comeback. I attended his whole preparation, in Germany and in Austria. He is in very good shape. And his psyche is stabile. He will show inside the ring how stabile it is.

Why did Wladimir lose to Corrie Sanders?

Wladimir took Corrie Sanders lightly. He underestimated him and was not fully concentrated. But he had to pay badly for his mistakes. His mistake was that he directly went after his opponent to land power shots without setting his punches up. That’s something you can never do. Wladimir learned from it.

There is a new couch in your team: American Freddy Roach, former trainer of Mike Tyson. What does he bring to the table?

Freddie Roach is a very good trainer with a lot of experience. One should always try to prepare with people who belong to the best in their business. Freddy does. He and Wladimir met for the first time in Los Angeles and they get along with each other very well. Freddy pointed Wladimir on some mistakes and they changed his style a little bit in a positive way. Wladimir may now be fighting a little bit more American.

Wladimir is fighting Argentine Fabio Moli on Saturday. Sportsbooks register Moli as a 10:1 underdog.

That’s the reason why Wladimir said, that in the case he loses to his tune up opponent Moli, he has no more business to be in the game of boxing.

What are the strenghts of Moli?

Moli is tough. He is fighting an unorthodox and aggressive style. He comes straight at you and he has a big heart. Moli was never knocked down.

What will be next for Wladimir after Saturday: A rematch against Corrie Sanders? Or do you consider taking revenge on Sanders instead of your brother?

Certainly a rematch is what Wladimir wants next. Of course I would be willing and it would be a pleasure for me to fight Corrie Sanders. But I won’t because it would be bad for my brother. There is unfinished business between him and Sanders. I don’t want to interfere. Wladimir must take revenge for himself.

Let’s talk about you. You will step back into the ring on December 6. Where and against who?

The fight will take place in the US. HBO will broadcast. I don’t know who my opponent will be. My promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl and the responsible people of HBO will discuss this. I hope for a very strong opponent.

Will your fight on December 6 be a world championship?

Would be great. But it’s uncertain so far. My favorite opponent would be Chris Byrd. I was talking about unfinished business. Byrd and me have our own unfinished business. He was the lucky winner of my title when I tore my rotator cuff three years ago. Now Byrd is IBF champion. I would love to fight him – even on December 6. But Byrd is already making a title defense in September. So he may fear the time is not long enough for him to prepare for a fight against me in December.

But if there is the chance to fight for the world titles of WBA or WBC of course I would be more than happy to take this chance. My favorite opponents beside Byrd are Hasim Rahman, David Tua, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and of course WBA champ Roy Jones.

Do you think Lennox Lewis will give you a rematch next year?

That’s a good question for Lennox Lewis. I can hardly give an answer to that. I would like to fight him again right now. But everybody knows he announced that he doesn’t want another fight in 2002. But in case he ever steps back into the ring he would have to fight me. All experts and boxing fans worldwide will aggressively demand that rematch. Beside me there is no logical opponent for Lewis.

Earlier you mentioned Mike Tyson. There are rumors that he will participate in the K-1 kickboxing tournament. Maybe an attractive idea for you as you are a former kickboxing world champion?

Definately not. I don’t participate in this kind of shows. I’m a professional boxer now.

Are you currently in training?

Yes. I already prepare for my fight on December 6. I will do the first period of my training in Germany, the second period in the US.

Last question: What is your prediction for your brother’s fight on Saturday?

Two alternatives: Either Wladimir wins or he retires. And that’s what my brother thinks too.

Next Boxing.de Live Broadcast on August 30

Don't miss the next Webcam Live Event on Boxing.de on August 30 from the Olympic Arena of Munich. Dr. Wladimir Klitschko will celebrate his comeback that night against Fabio Moli. Boxing.de will broadcast the whole undercard via webcam and a snapshot of the ring in a 10 seconds rythm. The Boxing.de Broadcast will include a total of 7 fights and will last approximately 4 hours. During the live broadcast of ZDF Boxing.de will complete the German TV broadcast with a live punchstat on the internet.

Start Webcam Broadcast on August 30:
19:00 Deutschland, 1pm New York, 10am Los Angeles
www.boxing.de/live