The Klitschko Brothers
May 1, 2001, by Steve Farwood
I've seen the future of heavyweight boxing, and it is a pair of power forwards from the Ukraine.
In The World According To Big George, former champions Mike Tyson (34), Lennox Lewis (35), and Evander Holyfield (38) are mere pups. But not everyone ages like George Foreman. In a couple of years, Tyson and Lewis will be closer to 40 than 30, and if still active, Holyfield will have turned into Tim Witherspoon.
Looking for new leaders to join Hasim Rahman? Look straight up.
Wladimir Klitschko, 36-1, is 6'7" and 245 pounds. Big brother Vitali, 29-1, is 6'8" and 250 pounds. But what separates these Germany-based T-Rexes from the rest of the contenders are their minds, not their bodies. Vitali has earned a doctorate in sports science from the University of Kiev, and Wlad is en route. These guys read books, play chess, and speak three languages. They also punch really, really hard, and one of them (though we're not sure which one) is likely to challenge for a version of the world title before the end of the year.
I met with the Klitschkos on the morning of the Barrera-Hamed fight in Las Vegas. They were accompanied by Berndt Bonte, chief publicist for Universum, which promotes the heavyweights. Bonte's goal is to expose the brothers to the American public. One of his problems: Most fans have difficulty telling Wlad and Vitali apart. (Wlad, who is single, is 25. Vitali, who is married with one son, is 29.)
It didn't help that the snapshot photos on both of their credentials were identical shots of Vitali.
Do you believe that it is difficult to think and fight at the same time, that it is better for a fighter to be instinctive rather than analytical?
Vitali: Life is brighter and more interesting than just boxing. After their boxing careers, most fighters are like babies; they don't know what to do. History has so many bad examples'alcohol and drugs, financial problems. We don't want that to happen to us. In the ring, instinct is important, but it's not everything. Sometimes you must think. Like when fighting Chris Byrd. He is a gum-man; he can bend in many ways. Sometimes you have to stop and think to adjust.
Wladimir: When we go into the ring, we're like artists. But we're not the only ones in the ring, so we have to think. Your body and mind have to rise to another level. You have to be strong all the time, physically and mentally.
When they see the two of you, some Americans can't help but think of Ivan Drago.
Vitali: When we first came to Germany, we heard people say, "Bad Russians." But we're Ukranian, not Russian. Now, when people hear we're not German, they're shocked.
Wladimir: Ivan Drago had no brothers. We have a much more interesting story.
Vitali is married, but Wlad is single. So let's hear at least one story about how women have tried to pick you up.
Wladimir: In Germany, we have two round-card girls per fight. Before one fight, a round-card girl started talking to me: "I love you. I'm a really big fan." A beautiful girl, but she was a little bit too forward. We talked for about 15 minutes, and she said, "I will give you the keys to my house when I come into the ring between rounds." I thought she was joking, but I was scared she would really do it. But I scored a knockout in one round and never saw her again!
Does it anger you that because of what happened in Vitali's fight against Byrd and Wlad's fight against Ross Puritty, people question your respective hearts?
Wladimir: I'm not angry. It is a mistake by the media. We have no hate, no bad feelings. With Vitali's fight, nobody understood what was happening. I was in his corner. I've known him 25 years and I know how hard he is. I've never heard him complain about anything, so I knew his shoulder was really, really bad. The ligament was completely torn.
You've repeatedly stated that you'd never fight each other.
Vitali: It is not important who fights for the title first, only that it is a Klitschko. We have dreams and they must come true: to be world champions at the same time, together. There are only two of us. Our father was a military officer, and the minister of the military, who is a very famous man in the Ukraine, told him he had to have more than two sons! (laughs)
Wladimir: We'd never fight each other because we love our mother too much.
What are some of the characteristics or personality traits that separate the two of you?
Vitali: I'll tell you a top secret; we're like twins. Nobody knows who is who. Sometimes I look at a picture and can't tell who it is. We have so much in common.
Wladimir: We look the same, but we're not clones.
Vitali: When I started to box, my smaller brother said, "I want to box, too." And when I went to the institute to do my thesis, he said, "I want to do that, too." Everything I want to do, he does it better (laughs).
Berndt Bonte: I would say Vitali is a bit more emotional. And he's the family leader. Vitali plays chess; maybe we'll challenge Lennox Lewis. And Wladimir is a magician; he'll be doing magic tricks on a David Lederman-type show in Germany next week. Wladimir also has a helicopter pilot's license.
Do you enjoy Las Vegas?
Wladimir: There is no city like it in the world. Las Vegas is crazy. Not a sick-crazy, but a cool-crazy. And New York is really crazy. It's like Mars. Las Vegas is fantasy and New York is reality. American people are cool-crazy. They have a different mentality than anyone else.
Vitali: I've been here so many times. In kickboxing, I won my first world title here in 1991. On this trip we saw the Grand Canyon. That was the best show we've seen. We gamble, but just for fun, not money.
How about a final message to the American boxing fans?
Wladimir: There's a new generation in professional boxing. We're coming to the American market now. When an artist makes a performance, he has to please the audience. If the audience is happy, they will come back again. Without the audience, boxing is no fun. We're depending on pleasing the people here, just as we do in Germany.
Vitali: When I was a boy, I had a feeling I was going to do something really great. It's a feeling I have right now. And I'm standing right in front of the door. |
