Saturday, November 30, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

COLUMN: Royce Feour

Klitschko brothers do work outside of boxing

Wladimir Klitschko is not your typical professional fighter. In fact, the WBO heavyweight champion is anything but average.

Just how is Klitschko different?

For starters, he is educated and intelligent. Not many boxers have a Ph.D. Klitschko, 26, and his brother, Vitali, 31, have doctorate degrees in sports science from the University of Kiev. The brothers were raised in the Ukraine and based in Hamburg, Germany, though Vitali recently moved to Los Angeles.

Wladimir Klitschko speaks four languages -- his native Ukrainian, Russian, German and English. His English is much improved since he was in Las Vegas to defend his WBO title against Las Vegan Charles Shufford at Mandalay Bay 16 months ago. Klitschko speaks English smoothly and confidently now, with the help of a five-week course at New York University.

Klitschko is in Las Vegas to defend his belt against Jameel McCline on Dec. 7 at Mandalay Bay as part of an HBO doubleheader that also has WBC lightweight champion Floyd Mayweather meeting former champion Jose Luis Castillo.

The handsome, clean-cut Klitschkos were a picture of absolute charm Thursday as they met people and served Thanksgiving dinners to underprivileged children and families at an annual charity gathering at Piero's restaurant.

"It is a pleasure dealing with people like that," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. "They are genuinely likeable. They have a nice manner about them, a nice way about them. Considering how well-known they are in Europe, they don't act like stars. They are very down to earth."

Anybody who met the Klitschkos at the charity event would agree with Arum. The brothers were unfailingly polite.

Wladimir Klitschko said their goal was to have different versions of the heavyweight championship.

Vitali Klitschko stopped Larry Donald in the 10th round last week in Dortmund, Germany, and is scheduled to challenge Lennox Lewis for the WBC heavyweight championship next spring.

"This would be like the most unusual thing that ever happened in boxing -- two legitimate co-heavyweight champions who are brothers," Arum said. "It's never happened before. They are like twins, although (Vitali) is five years older. I have never seen two kids so close. They will change the whole face of boxing if they are successful. It would be so good for the sport to have these two guys as heavyweight champions. And they're so highly educated and intelligent."

Humility is also one of Wladimir Klitschko's qualities.

Asked to describe his style and strong points as a boxer, he said: "For me it is difficult to describe my style. People from the outside can do that better. It is difficult for me to say how good I am or what style I have."

Arum said Klitschko's style is just fine, particularly for a European heavyweight.

"He moves," Arum said. "He has a very fluid style, unlike his brother, who is older and still retains that Eastern European style. Wladimir is a much better natural athlete."

Wladimir Klitschko, who won a gold medal in the super heavyweight division in the 1996 Olympic Games, said he and his brother are going on a world tour after next week's fight to support the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) program to provide education for children in need. He said they are going to Brazil, Morocco, Russia, the Ukraine and Africa.

"It is very important to do something for society, especially the kids," Wladimir Klitschko said. "This is our future. If the kids get the right education, they can change a lot in the future."

To be sure, the Klitschkos aren't your average fighters.

Royce Feour's boxing column is published Saturday. He can be reached by phone at 383-0354, fax at 383-4676 or e-mail at rfeour@reviewjournal.com.