- Wladimir Klitschko is considering a return to the ring to take on Dubois
- He hasn’t fought in almost eight years since losing to Anthony Joshua
- The negotiations have been canceled and Dubois will look for an alternative opponent
A stunning bid from Wladimir Klitschko to come out of retirement and challenge Daniel Dubois for his world heavyweight title has been rejected.
The younger brother of Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko threw his hat into the prize ring as a potential opponent for Dubois in the defense of the IBF belt in Saudi Arabia on February 22.
Negotiations for the fight were halted this week following a widely derided performance by Mike Tyson in his comeback against YouTube phenomenon Jake Paul.
Klitschko, at 48, is exactly ten years younger than the former Baddest Man On The Planet and has been out of action for just under eight years, in contrast to Iron Mike’s 19-year hiatus from boxing.
Yet the Saudi-English promoters of the first big fight night of 2025 in Riyadh felt they could not risk anything approaching a repeat of the 58-year-old Tyson’s retirement-bound inability to land more than 18 punches to share. in his shortened rounds of eight two-minute battles against Paul
Certainly not in a full-fledged twelve-round world title fight.
Although Klitschko was known for staying in top physical condition – in the gym, on the golf course, in the sea, on the ski slopes and especially in his preparedness for military action in the Ukrainian war against Russia – it was thank you but no thank you you regarding the fight against Dubois.
Wladimir Klitschko is considering a return to the ring seven years after his last fight
He was interested in challenging Daniel Dubois for his IBF title, but talks have stopped
The fight is no longer being considered after Mike Tyson made a comeback at the age of 58, losing to YouTuber Jake Paul earlier this month
It is believed that the IBF was wary of sanctioning this fight as a voluntary defense for Dubois following his demolition work on Anthony Joshua, which won him the title. Ultimately, they were not forced to make a decision.
The general public may have been intrigued to see another former world champion in action, despite the skepticism surrounding Tyson’s return to the ring. A certain fascination with legends donning the gloves once again drew a record-paying crowd of 72,800 to the Dallas Cowboys stadium for Tyson vs. Paul. Even more remarkable, Netflix’s televised and private screening attracted more than 80 million viewers worldwide.
As an event alone, this was a spectacle that will have drawn the attention of a larger section of the younger generation to boxing. As a fight itself, not so much and the integrity of the most difficult game at the highest level is a more sensitive subject.
Klitschko, an Olympic gold medalist, won 64 of his 69 fights, 53 of them by knockout. He still holds the record for the longest cumulative reign as world heavyweight champion, at 4,382 days. He and his brother, champion Vitali, dominated the ‘Klitschko era’ of heavyweight boxing from 2004 to 2015.
Dr. Steelhammer first retired after losing his titles to Tyson Fury in November 2015. He returned 17 months later at the age of 41, stating he was ‘obsessed’ with regaining his world titles, but was knocked out by Anthony. Joshua at Wembley Stadium as he stood on the brink of victory.
Lately he has been labeled as ‘obsessed’ again. This time by beating Dubois and thus becoming the oldest world champion ever. That record now remains held by George Foreman, who was 46 years and 169 days old when he retired for good on June 8, 1995, while retaining the IBF title.
One of three contenders will now challenge Dubois for the same title: New Zealand’s rejuvenated former world champion Joseph Parker, Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang or Germany’s undefeated European champion Agit Kabayel.
Zhang and Kabayel are in talks to fight each other on the undercard in Riyadh. But if one is called up for the mega-bucks title fight against Dubois, the other will fight Parker for the position as the IBF’s mandatory heavyweight challenger.