Wladimir Klitschko caught the eyes of the boxing world as he released a sparring video which sparked rumours he could come out of retirement.
The 45-second clip uploaded to his Instagram stories showed he still has the skills he inhabited during his 21-year career. Klitschko hung up his gloves after he was knocked out by British fighter Anthony Joshua in 2017.
Kitschko had started to lose his edge after he was defeated by Tyson Fury in 2015 and despite the Ukrainian having a rematch clause in his contract for the subsequent fight against Joshua, he opted to retire.
The sparring session wasn’t to the highest calibre but it was enough to set tongues wagging. The rumour mill may be in full swing but nothing has been confirmed and he is perhaps still likely to remain on the media side of matters.
He has remained on good terms with Joshua and believes the Brit can bounce back from his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch.
Klitschko told Sky: “We have seen AJ challenged. I remember my time. I lost two fights within [13 months in 2003 and 2004].
“To bounce back? To eventually become one of the longest-reigning champions? AJ can still have his time, absolutely. It is all about how to overcome the challenge.”
