Vitali Klitschko on Fighting His Brother: 'Nothing Is Impossible'

When Vitali Klitschko retired as World Boxing Council champion in November of 2005, the Ukraine native's 38-year-old's body seemed as brittle as his professional boxing legacy was in doubt.

Klitschko claimed it was due to back surgeries, in addition to a torn meniscus and a cruciate ligament in his right knee -- the latter of which forced the cancellation of a WBC-mandated defense against top contender Hasim Rahman.

"I announced my retirement because I had a line of injuries. I didn't want to block the heavyweight division because I had to keep moving fights. I took a break for three, almost four years, and I used this time to recover," said Klitschko.

"I'm not the youngest one, I'm not the strongest one, but the main point in boxing and life is my experience," said Klitschko. "I want to show everybody that my experience is enough to make my dreams -- to make your dreams -- come true."

And nearly four years later, the 6-foot-8 Klitschko is a champion, once again, having regained the WBC title during his return bout -- a ninth-round stoppage of Nigeria's Samuel Peter on Oct. 11.

"When I came back, many of my critics asked, 'Man, are you crazy?' and, 'What are you doing?' " said Klitschko, who twice ran for mayor of Kiev, Ukraine's capitol, while away from the sport. "But I felt good, I was in good shape, and I led a clean lifestyle."

Klitschko's effort, coupled with the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization crowns owned by younger brother Wladimir Klitschko, 33, made the siblings the first to simultaneously hold heavyweight championships.

"Never, ever in the history of the heavyweight division had two brothers held the title at the same time. Right now, we have three titles, which is very important to our family," said Klitschko, who has designs on seven-foot Nikolay Valuev (50-1, 34 KOs) of Russia. "We need one more title, we can totally control the heavyweight division, which is our dream."

Vitali Klitschko spoke with FanHouse exclusively from Los Angeles, where he is training at the LB4LB Gym for the second defense of his crown against 28-year-old Chris Arreola (27-0, 24 KOs) of Riverside, Calif. Their bout will take place at the Staples Center.

"Chris Arreola is a very tough fighter and a very strong fighter. It won't be an easy task to beat him," said Klitschko, who has been training for two months. "Arreola has a big heart, big punch, a great record and he has everything to be a great champion. But he just doesn't have my experience."

Klitschko's dominance is unquestionable, with a mark of 37-2 with 36 knockouts. The only man who has lasted the distance among those Klitschko has vanquished was Germany's Timo Hoffmann, who lost for the first time in 23 bouts by unanimous decision in November 2000.

"There's no questions about who is the winner if you win by KO," Klitschko said. "It adds to the drama when you send the opponent to the floor. I have to show my skills, and knockouts bring so much emotion from the crowd."

But Klitschko's critics still remain, most recently in the form of former undisputed world champion Lennox Lewis, who retired six years ago following a sixth-round knockout of Vitali.

Lewis, who turned 44 on Sept. 2, told FanHouse recently that he believed he could emerge from retirement and defeat either of the Klitschkos, and added that the siblings' vow never to fight each other was "bad for the sport."

Lewis will be an HBO ringside commentator during Klitschko-Arreola.

"Inside the ring, Lewis looked me in the eyes and told me that he was going to give me a rematch, but he did not keep his word. He made excuses and announced his retirement, and now, he wants to see Wladimir against Vitali," Klitschko said.

"If you ask me to take the fight against my brother, I know that Wladimir is the strongest one in the heavyweight division right now. Wladimir has a huge record, I have a huge record, but we don't want to break our mother's heart," Klitschko said.

"I'm focused right now on the fight with Arreola, but if you asked me if I would ever fight my brother, then the answer is that nothing is impossible," Klitschko said. "Right now, we have three of the four heavyweight titles. But if we had total control, one of the brothers might have to go. But that's just speculation. Let's see what the future brings."

Klitschko acknowledged that vacating the ring three years ago left his reputation in doubt. For in the minds of many -- rivals in particular -- Klitschko was simply a coward.

The nickname "Quitschko" surfaced and stuck following the first loss of Klitschko's career in April 2000, when -- ahead on the cards against undersized Chris Byrd -- he remained on his stool citing a severe injury to one of his shoulders.

Klitschko's move cost him his WBO crown.

And there would be more.

Rahman accused Klitschko of ducking him, as did Byrd and John Ruiz, former champs in the IBF and WBA.

Before retiring, Klitschko had been named Champion Emeritus, an honor that warranted an immediate shot at the reigning WBC titlist should he ever return to the ring.

That opportunity came against Peter. And "Dr. Ironfist" capitalized, using his long jab and a sledgehammer right.

"I am ready to fight the entire distance, but it is better when two people come in and everyone knows that one of them is going to be on the floor. I'm sorry for my opponents, but I have to show my skills and show that I'm the best," said Klitschko, who's predicting that he will knock out Arreola. "I'll show that I'm better because of my experience."



Married to Natalie for 14 years, Klitschko's three children -- Ygor, 9, Elizabeth, 6, Max, 4 -- were all born in Los Angeles, where he lives and trains. Max Klitschko was named in honor of former German champion Max Schmeling.

"Vitali owns a house here in Los Angeles, and he will be the only fighter to have fought three times at the Staples Center as a headliner," said Tom Loeffler of Klitschko's K2 Promotions. "We believe that it's a great promotion -- two fighters who are training in the same town. It's an exciting fight to sell."

Notes: On the Klitschko-Arreola undercard, fast-rising, hard-hitting, undefeated heavyweight Alexander Ustinov (17-0, 14 KOs), of Minsk, Belarus, will take on once-beaten Cedric Boswell (31-1, 24 KOs), of Atlanta, Ga., in a 12-round championship fight for Ustinov's WBA European title.

In another compelling heavyweight matchup of American brawlers, Johnathon Banks (21-1, 15 KOs) of Detroit will face Javier Mora (22-4, 18 KOs) of Anaheim, Calif.