Ukrainian boxing star Wladimir Klitschko retires after a 21-year career.
The former heavyweight champion will not fight British boxer Anthony Joshua to regain his IBF, WBA and IBO belts that he lost when defeated by Joshua this April.
Klitschko, 41, announced that he retires from boxing on Aug. 3 via a video on his official website.
“Twenty-seven years ago I made my best choice. I have chosen the profession that became my life,” Klitschko says in the video. “I became a person who I always dreamt to be. At some point of life, we might want to change our career and prepare for the next chapter. I’m not an exception. And now it’s my turn to do it.”
Klitschko thus follows his older brother, Vitali Klitschko, who quit boxing in 2013. He’s been mayor of Kyiv since 2014.
Rumors about the younger Klitschko quitting boxing have been circulating in the media for several months.
Klitschko was expected to make the final decision about the proposed rematch with Joshua, 27, to whom Klitschko lost on April 30, getting a technical knock-down in the 11th round.
Klitschko is a two-time former world heavyweight champion, who held the WBA, IBF and WBO titles, as well as the IBO and lineal titles. He is also the second-longest reigning heavyweight of all-time, after American boxer Joe Louis.
Klitschko brothers made their professional debut in 1996 in Hamburg. During their peak years from 2004 until 2015, the brothers were among the most successful boxers in the world.
Both brothers were particularly well known for using their large size to nullify other heavyweights. The brothers have founded charity fund Klitschko Foundation and branding agencies Klitschko Management Group and К2 Promotions.
