Exactly 1,400 days after his last fight, Vitali Klitschko beat champion Samuel Peter on Saturday to regain the WBC heavyweight belt and seal the Klitschko brothers’ world domination of the division.
The 37-year-old Klitschko — elder brother of IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion Vladimir — added the WBC crown to the family’s collection having last fought in December 2004 before a knee injury led to his temporary retirement.
In his first fight for four years, Klitschko dethroned Nigeria’s Peter who retired at the end of the eighth round to hand Klitschko a technical knock-out and crown him world champion for the third time.
PHOTO: EPA
“I knew there was no risk coming back to the ring,” said a delighted Klitschko. “I worked hard and made my dream a reality.”
And after an emotional celebration with his brother in the Berlin ring, Vladmimir said his elder sibling had done the family name proud.
“You proved that you are the better of the Klitschkos, I am proud of you,” he said.
Vitali had won his first world title against Herbie Hide in 1999 when he won the WBO title which he then lost to Chris Byrd in 2000.
He returned to the ring to win both the WBC and IBO crowns which he lost to Lennox Lewis in 2003.
Having won back and defended the WBC title against Danny Williams in December 2004, Klitschko was forced to retire until Saturday night’s spectacular return.
Peter, dubbed the “Nigerian Nightmare” with a record of 30 wins and now two defeats, managed just once defense of the title he won against Russia’s Oleg Maskaev on March 8 and never threatened Klitschko.
The Nigerian made a good start and caught the Ukrainian on the shoulder in the first round with a heavy shot as he took advantage of Klitschko’s low guard.
But Klitschko, who boasts the highest overall knockout ratio of any heavyweight champion with 36 wins and now 35 knock-outs, caught the Nigerian with several shots to the face in the second.
In an impressive build-up, the Pussycat Dolls sang and five former heavyweight champions — Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson and Lewis — all sent video messages of support for Klitschko.
And the Ukrainian was rarely troubled as he constantly landed telling punches while Peter rarely made telling contact.
Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
Taiwanese e-sports team Ban Mei Gaming (BMG) claimed second place at this year’s Arena of Valor International Championship (AIC 2024) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, after losing to the Thai team Bacon Time (BAC) in the finals on Sunday In the final match, BMG faced BAC, who finished top in the winners’ bracket, but lost 0-4. However, BMG still walked away with US$100,000 in prize money for finishing runners-up. The AIC 2024 began with 16 teams competing in the Swiss Stage, where teams played up to five rounds. Those securing three wins advanced to the Knockout Stage, while teams
Japan’s national high-school soccer tournament is thriving after more than 100 years, attracting huge crowds, millions watching on TV and breeding future stars, despite professional clubs trying to attract young talent. The annual tournament kicked off on Saturday and is still regarded as the pinnacle of amateur soccer with young players dreaming of playing in the final in front of tens of thousands at the National Stadium in Tokyo. Matches are a massive occasion for the whole school as student cheering squads wave flags, bang drums and roar on their teams in a spectacle of noise and color. “All the
RSS