Did Vitali Klitschko duck Has-been Rahman back in 2005?

[yoz]

I notice some (predominantly anti-Klitschko) posters have brought this up over the last month.

I've had a trawl through some of the old news stories from 2005. Personally, I can't recall the fight ever being ON; but apparent Vitali pulled out due an injury sustained in training.

Also, some posters have accused Vitali of ducking Has-been twice - when was the other occasion?

[Skittlez]

I notice some (predominantly anti-Klitschko) posters have brought this up over the last month.

I've had a trawl through some of the old news stories from 2005. Personally, I can't recall the fight ever being ON; but apparent Vitali pulled out due an injury sustained in training.

Also, some posters have accused Vitali of ducking Has-been twice - when was the other occasion?

Major thread about this on another site..

The issue with this situation is:

Vitali didn't pull out of this fight once. He did it 5 times in 11 months.

My following post will be quite long because it will outline the exact timelines of Vitali vs Rahman.

It will also be actual 'FACT'S not the fake ones Klitschko fans posted.

[Skittlez]

- Klitschko agrees in February 2005 to make a mandatory defense against Rahman on April 30, 2005, at New York's Madison Square Garden.

- The April 30, 2005, meeting is rescheduled to June 18, 2005, after Vitali suffers what is called a "thigh injury" while jogging.

- Klitschko re-schedules this mandatory defense to July 23, 2005, claiming his thigh did not respond to treatment.

The July 23, 2005, re-scheduling is postponed yet again after Klitschko claims his thigh injury has spread to his back.

- Klitschko undergoes what his handlers refer to as "minor back surgery," on April 19, 2005.





- Don King implores Klitschko to face Rahman on Aug. 13, avoiding the necessity of the interim championship bout. Klitschko claims he cannot be ready to fight by Aug. 13. After Rahman and Barrett sign to fight each other, it is leaked to the media that Klitschko suddenly recovers to the extent that he is fit to fight on HBO Sept. 24. Klitschko's hand-picked opponent, Oleg Maskaev, is subsequently rejected by HBO as a suitable opponent according to media reports.

- Klitschko subsequently petitions the WBC to allow him a second voluntary defense against Calvin Brock on Sept. 24, 2005. The WBC rejects Klitschko's bid on July 15, 2005, and orders Vitali to face the winner of Rahman vs. Barrett.



- Klitschko is reportedly "knocked down" and "banged up" by sparring partners during the first week in November to the extent he claims a knee injury. Two doctors fit Vitali with two different knee braces, but it was never reported that either physician determined that Klitschko's apparent knee injury would prevent him from fighting on Nov. 12.

- Vitali Klitschko himself makes the decision to pull out of the Rahman fight on Nov. 5, 2005.

-

-Vitali promises 'this time the fight is definitely on' gives a timeline of 3-4 months.


- Vitali Klitschko retires instead.

[boliodogs]

No he did not. To duck him he would have to be the obvious #1 contender the way Matthysse is at 140. Rahman was never close to being the clear #1 contender.

[S. Saddler 1310]

Personally, I can't recall the fight ever being ON

it was certainly on. HBO even aired one of their 'Countdown' shows for the fight (a good watch, btw).

[S. Saddler 1310]

[edgarg]

- Klitschko agrees in February 2005 to make a mandatory defense against Rahman on April 30, 2005, at New York's Madison Square Garden.

- The April 30, 2005, meeting is rescheduled to June 18, 2005, after Vitali suffers what is called a "thigh injury" while jogging.

- Klitschko re-schedules this mandatory defense to July 23, 2005, claiming his thigh did not respond to treatment.

The July 23, 2005, re-scheduling is postponed yet again after Klitschko claims his thigh injury has spread to his back.

- Klitschko undergoes what his handlers refer to as "minor back surgery," on April 19, 2005.





- Don King implores Klitschko to face Rahman on Aug. 13, avoiding the necessity of the interim championship bout. Klitschko claims he cannot be ready to fight by Aug. 13. After Rahman and Barrett sign to fight each other, it is leaked to the media that Klitschko suddenly recovers to the extent that he is fit to fight on HBO Sept. 24. Klitschko's hand-picked opponent, Oleg Maskaev, is subsequently rejected by HBO as a suitable opponent according to media reports.

- Klitschko subsequently petitions the WBC to allow him a second voluntary defense against Calvin Brock on Sept. 24, 2005. The WBC rejects Klitschko's bid on July 15, 2005, and orders Vitali to face the winner of Rahman vs. Barrett.



- Klitschko is reportedly "knocked down" and "banged up" by sparring partners during the first week in November to the extent he claims a knee injury. Two doctors fit Vitali with two different knee braces, but it was never reported that either physician determined that Klitschko's apparent knee injury would prevent him from fighting on Nov. 12.

- Vitali Klitschko himself makes the decision to pull out of the Rahman fight on Nov. 5, 2005.

-

-Vitali promises 'this time the fight is definitely on' gives a timeline of 3-4 months.


- Vitali Klitschko retires instead.

You're stretching the truth here to impssiblel lengths. I hope you don't call yourself a sportsman. Klitschko had only ONE injury, which was his knee, and had to retire, because the WBC gave him 3 months to make the fight, and his doctors said it could either be career ending or would take at least a year.

Solis had a similar-but not as severe- injury a couple of years ago and was out for 15-16 months.

I'll say no more because i'm going to answer the topic starter's post.

[edgarg]

I notice some (predominantly anti-Klitschko) posters have brought this up over the last month.

I've had a trawl through some of the old news stories from 2005. Personally, I can't recall the fight ever being ON; but apparent Vitali pulled out due an injury sustained in training.

Also, some posters have accused Vitali of ducking Has-been twice - when was the other occasion?

After all this time I won't quote dates, but if you've collected old posts then you'll have seen mine of that time.

The fight was on, and Klitschko, when out jogging felt a thigh pain. He thought it was a torn muscle, and the fight was postponed for about 6-8 weeks, allowing the usual healing time for a torn muscle. it didn't heal, so Klitschko went to have a CT scan, and it was discovered that he had not torn a muscle, he had no injury at all. What he had was a pinched spinal nerve. The branch of the sciatic nerve which served the thigh had been compressed by a common problem, a bony spinal growth. (I've had the same operation myself) So he had back surgery and the surgeon snipped away the bony spur, easing the pressure. The doctor was interviewed on TV,confirming that it was indeed requiring surgery, and he showed what was done.


The fight wasn't actually re-arranged, just suggested date etc. There were, no arenas booked, no tickets printed, nothing for a deliberate, specified date, because the healing and training times required were variable, but it was either one week or the next.

In the meantime, Don King talked Rahman into taking a fight against his close friend, Monte Barrett, for just 7 weeks before the proposed new date of the Klitschko fight. Klitschko protested very strongly. Both Rahman and King swore that Rahman would be fit to fight against klitschko regardless of the Barrett fight. Later, although Klitschko was ready, there was never any more publicity over the fact that Rahman was not close to being ready.

By the way, Rahman won that so-called fight, which, except for Haye-Valuev, and Haye-Harrison, was probably the worst heavyweight fight in recent history.

Eventually the fight date was definitely agreed on, and, lo and behold, Klitschko smashed up his knee 9 days before the fight. Rahman and King were talking big, whilst he was being medically examined, that he was ducking Rahman and was afraid to fight him.

There were interviews with the sparring partner with whose legs Klitschko became entangled. King was saying that Klitschko had been KD by this guy, but the sparring partner said, that he heard the snap of Kllitschko's knee, and he went down awkwardly. It was the Anterior Cruciate Ligament ACL). The WBC gave klitschko a 90 day extension, but, because the injury was potentially career ending, with, at best, a minimum of a year to heal, he was forced to retire. His knee was the only injury he suffered.

As we all know, he made a comeback 4 years later, and is still going strong, with 9-10 defences so-far.

To think that a killer like Klitschko was "ducking" an chinny pug like Rahman is beyond laughable.

[edgarg]

- Klitschko agrees in February 2005 to make a mandatory defense against Rahman on April 30, 2005, at New York's Madison Square Garden.

- The April 30, 2005, meeting is rescheduled to June 18, 2005, after Vitali suffers what is called a "thigh injury" while jogging.

- Klitschko re-schedules this mandatory defense to July 23, 2005, claiming his thigh did not respond to treatment.

The July 23, 2005, re-scheduling is postponed yet again after Klitschko claims his thigh injury has spread to his back.

- Klitschko undergoes what his handlers refer to as "minor back surgery," on April 19, 2005.





- Don King implores Klitschko to face Rahman on Aug. 13, avoiding the necessity of the interim championship bout. Klitschko claims he cannot be ready to fight by Aug. 13. After Rahman and Barrett sign to fight each other, it is leaked to the media that Klitschko suddenly recovers to the extent that he is fit to fight on HBO Sept. 24. Klitschko's hand-picked opponent, Oleg Maskaev, is subsequently rejected by HBO as a suitable opponent according to media reports.

- Klitschko subsequently petitions the WBC to allow him a second voluntary defense against Calvin Brock on Sept. 24, 2005. The WBC rejects Klitschko's bid on July 15, 2005, and orders Vitali to face the winner of Rahman vs. Barrett.



- Klitschko is reportedly "knocked down" and "banged up" by sparring partners during the first week in November to the extent he claims a knee injury. Two doctors fit Vitali with two different knee braces, but it was never reported that either physician determined that Klitschko's apparent knee injury would prevent him from fighting on Nov. 12.

- Vitali Klitschko himself makes the decision to pull out of the Rahman fight on Nov. 5, 2005.

-

-Vitali promises 'this time the fight is definitely on' gives a timeline of 3-4 months.


- Vitali Klitschko retires instead.

I forgot to say..... "What a LIAR".... You must be in the propaganda business, making up your own lies.

I'll certainly remember your name. I haven't seen such a pile of crap since I had a vacation on a farm, over 40 years ago.

[TysonBomb]

I know Vittles had back surgery but where is the info on this supposed ACL tear?

Any tear of the 4 major ligaments of the knee (LCL, PCL, MCL, and ACL) can be potentially career ending. Even if someone does recover from it, usually he is not the same kind of athlete. Vittles has been looking fine 3 years after this supposed ACL injury in '05 ... pretty amazing how he came back at the age of 37 with no apparent problems with anything.