The failed comeback fight of Mike Tyson against Jake Paul has had a ripple effect, causing another legendary former heavyweight world champion, Wladimir Klitschko, to have his proposed return thwarted.
According to the Daily Mail, a bid by 48-year-old Ukrainian Klitschko to come out of retirement and fight IBF world champion Daniel Dubois has been put on ice, with the Brit now seeking an alternative. Klitschko had thrown his hat into the ring to come out of retirement and contest a heavyweight title fight against Dubois for the IBF belt in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 22.
However, Saudi boxing chiefs did not want to risk a fight resembling the one seen earlier this month, when a 58-year-old Tyson was soundly defeated via unanimous decision by YouTube star-turned-boxer Paul inside the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium. The age gap between Tyson and Paul was a whopping 30 years, and a matchup between Dubois and Klitschko would be two decades itself.
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Klitschko has been out of action just shy of a decade, with his last fight coming against Anthony Joshua inside Wembley Stadium in 2017. It was the 64-5 Ukrainian's second defeat in a row, having lost to Tyson Fury in a world title fight a year and a half earlier.
The former world heavyweight champ has his sights set on a boxing comeback, but the IBF isn't too keen on endorsing the match as a voluntary defense for Dubois, especially after his knockout victory over Joshua earlier in the year. Yet, Klitschko's possible return is sure to gather attention, with the boxing legend still holding the record for the most extended world heavyweight championship reign — 4,382 days.
Despite being prepared to step back into the ring, Klitschko hasn't neglected his duties; he's fit and ready for military action given the ongoing war in Ukraine. His brother, Kyiv's leading man and former heavyweight title holder Vitali, is also deeply involved in defending their homeland.
The topic of Ukraine sparked further controversy as Klitschko got into a verbal tussle with none other than podcast giant Joe Rogan. After Rogan speculated about US weapons in Ukraine sparking World War 3 in one of his episodes, Klitschko hit back: "Joe Rogan, I listened to your latest podcast. I am sending you this video to let you know that I disagree," asserted Klitschko.
"You talk about these American weapons being sent to Ukraine, which you believe will lead to the Third World War. So, let me tell you that you're repeating Russian propaganda - Putin's Russia is in trouble. So they want to scare you and people like you.
"His war was supposed to last three days, it has lasted three years thanks to the heroism and sacrifice of us Ukrainians. So you're using the only weapon that Putin really intends to use: propaganda, and this weapon really weakens our democracies.
"Putin's Russia wants to destroy Ukraine quietly, they want America to stay quiet - not great. A great America is not an America that abandons countries that defend freedom with their lives. In short, you see, I have quite a few points of difference. If you invite me on your podcast, we can discuss them like free men."
