b. 1971
Vitali Klitschko
Boxer, WBC heavyweight world champion
In December 2013 the reigning WBC heavyweight world champion gave up his belt of his own accord to go into politics. Vitali Klitschko won 45 of his 47 professional fights, 41 by knockout, and in 2014 became mayor of Kyiv.
Key accomplishments
- Heavyweight boxing world champion with the WBO (1999–2000) and the WBC (2004–2005, 2008–2013)
- 45 wins in 47 professional fights, 41 by knockout
- Multiple world kickboxing champion, amateur and professional
- Hero of Ukraine (2004)
- Leader of the UDAR party (since 2010); mayor of Kyiv (since 2014; as of October 2026)
The champion who gave up his belt
In December 2013 Vitali Klitschko was the reigning WBC heavyweight boxing world champion. And he gave up the title himself, to concentrate on politics. The World Boxing Council named him its “champion emeritus”.
Kickboxing first
Vitali Klitschko (Vitalii Klychko in Ukrainian transliteration) was born in 1971 in the village of Belovodskoye in Kyrgyzstan, then part of the Soviet Union, into a military family. His father, a military pilot, also served in Czechoslovakia, and in 1985 the family moved to Ukraine. Vitali graduated from the Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi Pedagogical Institute (1995) and earned a PhD-level degree (candidate of sciences) in physical education and sport. His younger brother is Wladimir Klitschko, also a world boxing champion.
Klitschko first made his name in kickboxing, winning world titles many times as an amateur and as a professional. In boxing he was Ukrainian champion several times and won the first World Military Games (1995), and in 1996 he turned professional. In 1999 he won the WBO heavyweight world title, and in 2004 the WBC title. In 2005 injuries made him announce his retirement, but in 2008 he returned to the ring and won the WBC belt again. In all he had 47 professional fights and won 45 of them, 41 by knockout. In 2004 he was made a Hero of Ukraine. With his brother he founded the promotion company K2 Promotions and the Klitschko Brothers Foundation, a charity.
From the ring to City Hall
As early as 2006 Klitschko won a seat on Kyiv City Council, and in 2010 he became leader of the UDAR party (the name means “punch”). In 2012–2014 he was a member of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. In 2014 he was elected mayor of Kyiv, and he was re-elected in 2015 and 2020. As of October 2026 he leads a city living under constant Russian attacks.
Why it matters today
Klitschko went from kickboxing to the WBC heavyweight belt, and then to running his country’s capital. Together with his brother he made Ukrainian boxers known all over the world.
