By Keith Idec
Wladimir Klitschko has a unique understanding of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s retirement predicament.
Klitschko has dominated the heavyweight division for nearly 10 years. Breaking Joe Louis’ record for consecutive heavyweight title defenses (25) also has become a realistic possibility now that the huge Ukranian has made 18 straight defenses of the IBF championship he won from Chris Byrd in April 2006. And at 39, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Klitschko is slightly older than the 38-year-old Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs).
Klitschko knows he isn’t ready to retire, though, and he doesn’t think Mayweather’s win against Andre Berto will be the undefeated five-division champion’s last fight, either.
“I think he still has at least one fight [left],” Klitschko said regarding Mayweather on a conference call Tuesday. “I think 50-0 – to be tied with Rocky Marciano is cool, but he has the chance to go ahead and make his 50th fight with a 50th victory.
“Sometimes athletes get nervous – as we’ve seen at the U.S. Open with Serena Williams. There’s a lot of pressure when you do historical steps or steps in history that you’re going to be remembered for. So I kind of understand Floyd on one hand. But on the other hand, I still really believe that he’s not going to retire, for some reason. Even if he announced it, I think he’s going to go ahead and do [it]. There is at least one more fight ahead.”
Klitschko (64-3, 53 KOs), who owns a 22-fight winning streak that began nearly 11 years ago, is scheduled to defend his IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight crowns against England’s Tyson Fury (24-0, 18 KOs) next month. HBO will televise their Oct. 24 fight live from Dusseldorf, Germany.
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
