I fought Tyson Fury, David Haye and was KO'd by Anthony Joshua but 'The Sniper' hit harder than them all

07/03/2024 11:00

Wladimir Klitschko fought a number of big punchers in his historic heavyweight career, but Corrie Sanders hit him the hardest of all.

Now retired, Klitschko is considered a legendary champion as his second reign saw him go unbeaten for ten years.

But in 2003, when he held the WBO belt, he came up against South Africa’s Corrie Sanders, otherwise known as ‘The Sniper’.

In a major shock, Sanders had Klitschko on the canvas twice in round one.

The Ukrainian couldn’t recover and, after being put down twice more within the first thirty seconds of round two, the referee waved off the contest.

Klitschko has since admitted that Sanders hit him harder than any of the other opponents he faced in his 21-year professional career.

"He was very fast and he had really powerful hands," Klitschko told Ring Magazine.

"I've been in boxing for 25 years and I never fought anybody in this game that punched like Corrie Sanders." 

This is despite the fact that Klitschko has shared the ring with some of the all-time heavy hitters, including David Haye, who the Ukrainian beat by unanimous decision in 2011.

While that fight was underwhelming, the Ukrainian did give some credit to the Brit when asked which of his opponents had the fastest feet.

Klitschko replied: “I would say probably Haye. He was very skilled and very quick.

“His balance is not as good but his foot speed is…

“I would say David Haye had really good skills in my fight, his speed and movement. Some punches missed but he did good. “

Towards the end of his career, Klitschko also came up against Tyson Fury and lost by unanimous decision, in what was considered a huge upset at the time.

And ‘Dr Steelhammer’ ate some thunderous punches from Anthony Joshua when they clashed in 2017 and Klitschko was stopped in the eleventh round of a thrilling contest.

Now, AJ is set to face Francis Ngannou on Friday night in Riyadh.

Joshua vs Ngannou: Betting with talkSPORT BET

Fight odds:

Joshua – 2/7

Ngannou – 11/4

Draw – 22/1

*odds correct as of 07/03

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