Wladimir Klitschko made headlines today by announcing his retirement from professional boxing. Klitschko’s decision did not come as a massive surprise since he waited long enough to not announce his participation in the rematch against Anthony Joshua. The Ukrainian’s manager Bernd Boente explains why ‘Dr Steelhammer’ decided to hang ’em up.
“I think that (retiring) was the right step because he said in every fight, money wasn’t his motivation, therefore I think it is more than understandable,” said Boente to Sky Sports.
Klitschko had hopes of beating Joshua in the rematch but unfortunately, the fire and desire are no longer there.
“I think it’s really the motivation, the fire that wasn’t there anymore. He took his time to think it out and feel it out and he also realised there was a chance to beat Anthony Joshua maybe in the rematch, but on the other hand, he knew it would again be a tough fight and no doubt about it, was one that the fans wanted to see,” told the manager.
The defeat at Wembley definitely left a scar and Klitschko wanted to avenge the loss but then again, a 10-week training camp was something that the former champion could not go through anymore.
“But at the same time, he had to go through a 10-week training camp again and if you don’t feel the fire, then it is definitely better to finish your boxing career. After the Joshua fight he was totally disappointed because he’d done everything in the preparation, he felt fantastic, and he had Anthony on the floor,” commented Boente.
Joshua will now most likely face the IBF mandatory challenger, Kubrat Pulev. The Bulgarian will fight either on the 28th of October or November 11th according to promoter Eddie Hearn.