Background

Vitali Klitschko was born on July 19, 1971 in Belovodsk, Kirghiz SSR, Soviet Union (now Belovodskoye, Kyrgyzstan). His father, Wladimir Rodionovich Klitschko, was a military man and his mother, Nadezhda Ulyanovna Klitschko, worked as a primary school teacher. Vitali has a younger brother, Wladimir Klitschko.

Education

Klitschko's family had to move frequently to other countries and Soviet republics. In the early 1980s, the family lived in Czechoslovakia; in 1984, the Klitschko moved to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, where Vitali began to do sports on a regular basis.

Vitali's great sports future was predetermined since his childhood. The boy was fond of professional fights since an early age. He liked many combat sports and kickboxing was his favorite. Vitali won the title of the world's best kickboxer six times. He had 35 fights and won 34.

In 1996, Vitali graduated from the Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky Pedagogical Institute. Later, he was accepted into the postgraduate study program at the Taras Shevchenko National University. In 2000, Klitschko presented his doctoral thesis at the Kyiv University of Physical Science and Sports.

Career

Klitschko was scheduled to represent Ukraine in boxing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, but he tested positive for steroids and was dismissed from the team. His brother, Wladimir, who had followed Vitali into amateur boxing, took his place and won the super heavyweight gold medal. The brothers made their professional debuts on the same fight card in Hamburg, Germany, in 1996, each scoring a knockout victory.

Klitschko lost for the first time on April 1, 2000, when he suffered a torn rotator cuff during a bout with American Chris Byrd, which resulted in a technical knockout defeat. British boxer Lennox Lewis stopped him on cuts in a thrilling defense of the WBC heavyweight title on June 21, 2003. Following Lewis's retirement, Klitschko captured the vacant WBC championship, but a series of injuries induced him to announce his retirement on November 9, 2005, after having made only one defense. He regained the WBC belt in his return to the ring on October 11, 2008.

Outside the ring, Vitali played a significant role in Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution, which ushered President Viktor Yushchenko into power. Klitschko unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Kiev twice, and in 2010, he became the leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR; its acronym in Ukrainian spelled "punch") political party. UDAR performed admirably in the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary elections, winning 40 seats and establishing itself as a significant force in opposition to Pres. Viktor Yanukovych and his ruling Party of Regions.

Klitschko vacated his WBC title and stepped away from boxing in December 2013 to dedicate his time to Ukrainian politics. He emerged as one of the leaders of the protest movement in Kiev's Maidan (Independence Square) and helped negotiate a settlement that halted deadly government attacks on demonstrators. After a final spasm of police violence resulted in the deaths of more than 70 Maidan protesters in February 2014, support for Yanukovych collapsed, and he fled Ukraine for Russia the following month. An interim government scheduled snap presidential elections for May, and Klitschko was an early front-runner in that race. He soon offered his support to Ukrainian chocolate magnate Petro Poroshenko, however, and, for the third time, declared his candidacy for mayor of Kiev. Both Klitschko and Poroshenko were victorious in their respective contests, and the two vowed to address the myriad issues that afflicted Ukraine and its capital. In November of that year, Klitschko resigned from the Ukrainian parliament, and nine months later he became the head of the newly formed Petro Poroshenko Bloc "Solidarity" party. He was re-elected mayor of Kiev in 2015 and soon thereafter had to resign as leader of the Solidarity party after a new law went into effect that barred heads of political administrations from also being members of political parties.

According to the Ukrainian Constitution, after the election of President Volodymyr Zelensky, Klitschko should resign, but he was not dismissed. In the election for Mayor of Kiev in 2020, Klitschko again won the election with 50.52%. The party UDAR won 30 Kiev City Council.

Achievements

• Vitali Klitschko is one of the best boxers in the world's history. He got famous for his successful results in the ring. His professional box achievements are truly remarkable.
  
  Vitali is the six-time world's champion in kickboxing, the champion of the First Military World Games, the three-time boxing champion of Ukraine, the multiple champion of Europe among professionals, and silver medalist of the World Boxing Championship Among Amateurs. Klitschko was included in the Guinness World Records as the first world’s champion in the super heavy weight who won 26 fights by knockouts and was named the best puncher in the history of the super heavy weight division by WBC. He was the world's champion in professional boxing according to WBO and WBC.
  
  Vitali receoved the title of the Merited Master of Sports of Ukraine. In 2010, he was awarded the German Cross of the Order of Merit for his social and political engagement and three years later Klitschko got the Georgian Presidential Order of Excellence.
  
  Vitali Klitschko has been also named multiple times among the 100 most influential people in Ukraine by Korrespondent. He was ranked 60th in 2006, 44th in 2010, 41st in 2011, 16th in 2012, 10th in 2013, 23rd in 2017 and 28th in 2019.

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Klitschko

    (A documentary encompassing the lives of world heavyweight...)

    2011

Politics

Klitschko supports the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. He sees the European Union as Ukraine's model for future political and economic development. He is also a supporter of NATO-Ukraine cooperation.

According to Klitschko, his main concern is social standards and the economy of Ukraine. He wants less corruption, more transparency in Ukrainian politics and advocates lower taxes to stimulate the economy.

Vitali Klitschko accused Ukraine's judicial system of violating human rights and humiliating its prisoners and called to ensure the independence of judges by switching from a system of appointed judges to a system of elected judges.

Views

Vitali with his brother supports charitable organizations, that address the needs of schools, churches and children. In 2002, they announced that they had agreed to work for UNESCO.

Quotations: "It's not the belt that matters, it's the audience who determines the champion. But I believe I'm the best in the world."

"It's an exciting time in the world - democracy, in all its different shapes, is rolling around to new countries all the time. To have a chance to shape the democracy in my home country is an honor."

"In sport, you only see the fighter, but it's teamwork. Without a good team, you will never be the best. In boxing, you have to work with the best coach, the best lawyer, the best manager, the best doctor. Exactly the same principle applies in politics."

"It was and is a great honor to hold the WBC title, and I've always done it with pride."

"I am happy to defend my title. It was a good performance from Chisora. I don't want to make excuses - it was not easy - but I saw every punch from Chisora. I am upset because I wanted to finish the fight before 12 rounds."

"Corruption is Ukraine's main enemy; we must destroy it. It's really painful to hear that Ukraine is the most corrupt country in Europe."

"I remember the day Ukraine became independent. I was 20; now I am over 40. It was like one second - time goes so fast. If we wait, the next 20 years will go by. We have a choice to wait or to fight for the better future of our country. I know better than anyone: no fight, no win."

"Ukrainian politics is like a fight with no rules. They are trying everything to take me out of the presidential election. I am the biggest danger for the people in power right now."

"I tell you very openly: it's much easier to be the heavyweight champion of the world than to be the mayor of Kiev."

"The biggest challenges are fixing the problems, to put all the puzzles together."

"I am thankful for this title of champion emeritus and proud I never lost my title."

"I feel like I am the strongest man in the world."

"I will be the personal bodyguard for every investment in my city. If Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary can transform, then so can Ukraine."

"I have respect for Chisora as a fighter but not as a human. He set a bad example for boxing and all fighters. He came from Great Britain, but he is not a gentleman."

"I understand that people believe that they are impotent and can do very little."

"Sports has given me the opportunity to travel around the world and see new countries and meet so many different people. I've gained new perspectives."

"Politics is a dirty game. We have our rules in boxing. In politics, no rules. Especially a young democracy like Ukraine. It's more like MMA."

"I'm a big expert in boxing, but in politics I'm a beginner, so I try to use other people's experience. I read books; I'm not afraid to ask for advice."

Membership

Klitschko is a member of the International Republican Institute's International Advisory Council.

Personality

Vitali Klitschko is a very driven personality. He speaks four languages and quotes French philosophers.

Physical Characteristics: Vitali Klitschko is 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) tall and weighs 112 kg (247 lb).

Interests

• guitar, languages, chess

• Sport & Clubs

  water sports, skiing

Connections

Vitali Klitschko married Natalia Egorova, a former athlete and model, on 26 April 1996. The couple has three children - Yegor-Daniel, Elizabeth-Victoria and Max.

Father:

Wladimir Rodionovich Klitschko

(died July 13, 2011)

Mother:

Nadezhda Ulyanovna Klitschko

Spouse:

Natalia Egorova

(born September 13, 1966)

Natalia Egorova is a retired professional tennis player who represented the Soviet Union and Russia.

Son:

Yegor-Daniel Klitschko

(born May 16, 2000)

Daughter:

Elizabeth-Victoria Klitschko

(born November 24, 2002)

Son:

Max Klitschko

(born 2005)

Brother:

Wladimir Klitschko

(born March 25, 1976)

Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2017.

Friend:

Vladimir Kramnik

(born June 25, 1975)

Vladimir Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007.

References

• Vitali Klitschko's Website
• Vitali Klitschko's Twitter
• Vitali Klitschko's Instagram
• Vitali Klitschko's Facebook