Three-time bronze medalist of the USSR championships, the first coach of the Klitschko brothers Vladimir Zolotarev had a conversation with the host of the YouTube channel “Viktor Yalymov’s Boxing Studio”.
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interview the mentor named the best boxers in the history of Ukraine, compared former heavyweight champions (over 90.7 kg) Vitaliy and Wladimir Klitschko, remembered the Lewis-Klitschko fight, spoke about the current unified champion from Ukraine Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs), commented his possible fight for the title of absolute heavyweight champion against WBC champion Briton Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) and expressed an opinion about the possible resumption of Wladimir Klitschko’s professional career.
— Name the top three amateur boxers in the history of independent Ukraine?
– These are Wladimir Klitschko, Usyk and Lomachenko.
— Well, what about the top three professionals?
– I think that Vitaly, Vladimir, Sasha Usik, Lomachenko. Here are the four people. You can’t separate them, say that one of them is better or worse. Not worth comparing with others. Even if you take Vitali Klitschko, he has not lost a single fight as a professional. He lost due to the fact that his shoulder hurt, he withdrew, and a cut with Lewis. And so it would have been a victory and they would have spoken in a completely different way. Never been knocked down.
– Tell us, what is the difference between Vitaly and Vladimir boxing?
– Who read my book – I told it there. Volodya is clay that can be molded. You blinded him – everything is cool, everything turns out. If you do not singe this clay, it will fall apart. That’s how he approached the fights in the professional ring. It seems that everything worked out, but if you didn’t singe it, that’s it. This is such a moment. Vitalik is completely different. This is a stone. It was difficult to work with him, very hard. If you made it like a stone, it will not deteriorate.
– Namely, in technical terms, how did they differ from each other?
– What is boxing? It’s a punch-defense-hit. Vitaly, in principle, did not miss such strong blows. Yes, he missed punches with Lewis, but he answered, he hit, he never lost the last rounds. If he had worked the last rounds, I’ll tell you honestly, he would have destroyed him. We only said (to) start working from the 7th round. From round 7! And in the eighth we were already removed. And Volodya is difficult with him. It must be kept in the stream all the time, more psychologically. Vitaly has a technical job, but he had his own technique. Everyone says it’s so beautiful. Well, not beautiful, maybe, but he did not miss such strong blows. He only missed Lewis and the late Corrie Sanders. This was also the fight of the century. In the last round, he destroyed it. With Lewis, he would have shown himself even better. They will say, “what are you talking about now.” I just know him.
– Oleksandr Usyk has now surpassed or will surpass the Klitschko brothers in rank in the future?
– I think he can do it. The Klitschko brothers are hard to beat.
- What do Vitali Klitschko and Usyk have in common? Listen to someone who knows both
Does Usyk need to win one fight against Fury?
And that’s all, yes.
How is boxing now different from boxing in the 80s and 90s?
Evolution is there all the time. It is hard to say. You see, the guys began to work harder, they became better, more resilient. The same Usyk, Lomachenko are now working more than the Klitschko brothers. Work has become more physical. It seems everyone can load, load, load. And you have to know how to load correctly. Here they work and improve.
– How many fights or years do you think we will see in the case of Oleksandr Usyk?
– It is hard to say. Everything depends on him, of course. I think he can still box for two years, and then it will be hard to box at this level. It’s difficult all the time. Just during this time, to fight with Tyson Fury and I think you can no longer box. To become the absolute champion is enough, I think so.
Are there any fighters you follow that you look forward to fighting with pleasure?
– I’m always interested in fights, so when all these stars are boxing, I always watch. I want to watch these fights and it’s interesting.
- “Klitschko is the smartest.” Gerald Washington compared Usyk, Fury, Wilder and others
– If, after all, the battle between Usyk and Fury takes place, who will you prefer, and how can this fight turn out?
– Preference Usyk ladies, but the fight is very difficult. It is hard to say. 50 to 50. That’s why this is the most interesting fight.
– Who will be the favorite in this fight?
– Objectively, Tyson will be considered.
What can you say about the fantasy duel between Vitali Klitschko and Fury?
– I think Vitalik would have won against Fury. I just wouldn’t let him work, that’s all. Vitalik never lost to anyone, to be honest.
Wladimir Klitschko will return to boxing or not?
– Yes, it makes no sense. Why should he return? What to prove? Let Usyk prove it already.
– Become world champion again, surpass Foreman.
– This is how much you need to work. It takes a job to drop everything. Someone says it’s good. This is not good! How long does Usyk, for example, work now? Is it possible to compare the work that Volodya and Usyk are doing? Don’t compare. Volodya trains for himself.
