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Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility (Proverbs 18:12)
Do you know what is the name of this dearly beaten boy beside Corrie Sanders? This is Wladimir Klitschko after his second loss in profi career. Admit honestly - how many of you thought that day that Wlad has no future in the boxing and it's time for him to accept that he'll never achive boxing paramount?
Yes, he was a boy back there but he remember well that defeat:
"I know why I lost to Sanders. By that time I had enough of these fights. Could not refuse to fight, because I had a contract, promoter, but I remember as if it was today: I walked into the ring and thought about vacation. I thought: now I'll KO him in the first round and will go to vacation.
That is, the fight was lost before I even walked into the ring. And with such an explosive fighter as Corrie Sanders, it was like death: I was just in the scissors. And then there was also Brewster. In one year I lost two fights. I was just trampled.
I was all criticized. Everybody give up on me. Even my brother had ceased to believe in me - it was after my fight with Williamson. But I knew that the one who lost to Sanders and Brewster - was not me, not the real me. What happened - was partly accident, partly consistent pattern, but I knew that I could be completely different, capable of much more.
I then fired my entire team. Everything has changed. It was very hard, but I am grateful to these two losers. With their help, I became who I am today. I know myself better. I became stronger. Before each fight I carefully review these two fights - with Sanders and Brewster. It motivates me. But back then it was hell for me and it's always like yesterday.
I did not have any contract or anything. I've lost everything. I heard everywere around that I have to finish with boxing. I was trampled by everyone who wanted to. The fight with Brewster was commented by Larry Merchant, Roy Jones, and by Foreman. Go find a youtube video and listen to what they were saying. That the chin of Lennox Lewis compared to Klitschko's chin is like granite. That now it's clear: such fighters as Klitschko have no chance in the heavyweight division. He has no character, no chin. More precisely, his chin is made of glass. He has no power. In short, he has nothing. Sometimes it is curious to hear what they are saying about me now. But back then I was alone and I knew that if I'll not gonna get myself out of this **** - no one will do it for me.
It was very hard, but at the same time all of these comments were to me like salt and pepper in the soup. I needed it. They motivated me and gave a taste of my work and my life. One guy from the American "Ring" magazine interviewed me and said that he was one of those who did not believe in me, and I told him, "I 'm grateful for that."
Lack of faith in me gave me the strength. If I did not have those defeats, I would not have learned very much about life and about myself, would not knew one of most the unpleasant sides of the life, and I would not have that character that I have today. What I have now - it's payback for that time.
I then derived a formula: the way to the top is very long and complicated but the way down is just one step. As I said at the time I was on the floor. So I never lose that feeling of the floor. I remember the feeling of how this floor balk into my face. This taste in the mouth remained with me to this day. I remember the smell of the floor, and it will stay with me forever. You can call it a sense of the floor.
I know that this floor may at any time be under the nose of any person, independently of how successful and lucky he is. And it can always be back under my nose. But the better people remember it, the less likely that it will happen".
So tell me now - who is the real Champion - one who has never been defeated or one capable to stand up after dearest defeats and climb back on the top to never fall again?
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