Turning the pages back... June 26, 1999 (06/26/05)

Turning the pages back...

June 26, 1999

On June 26, 1999, Vitalii Klitschko became the first Ukrainian, as well as the first boxer from the former Soviet Union, to win a world super heavyweight boxing championship when he knocked out Herbie Hide of England in the second round of a bout in London. As Roman Woronowycz of our Kyiv Press Bureau reported, "The 27-year-old Mr. Klychko [now known as Klitschko - ed.] ended the fight in what has for him become routine fashion: suddenly and quickly."

Building on his growing reputation as the boxing world's most lethal puncher, Klitschko finished World Boxing Organization champion Hide with a chopping right hand that seemed only to graze the smaller man's jaw but dropped him to the canvas for a count of five. Hide got up and staggered around the canvas before the referee called the fight after 1 minute 27 seconds of the second round.

Following a shaky first round that saw Hide land several effective punches, Klitschko came out more aggressively after the break. At the 34-second mark of the second round, the 6-foot, 8-inch challenger floored the champion with a powerful swing of his right hand. The referee was slow to begin the count and Hide had a chance to regain his composure, for another minute at least.

The bout was Klitschko's 25th consecutive professional victory - all by knockouts. Klitschko received approximately $500,000 for his 4-minute-27-second handling of Hide at the London Center before 5,000 fans.

Mr. Woronowycz's report noted that "With his World Boxing Organization crown, Klitschko becomes one of three super heavyweight champions in the splintered boxing world. He now shares the distinction with Lennox Lewis, champion of the World Boxing Council, and Evander Holyfield, who rules in the World Boxing Association. The latter two fighters face a rematch to unite their two crowns after battling to a draw earlier this year in a controversial match that has been fraught with accusations of impropriety."

Tens of thousands of Kyivans assembled on June 26, 1999, in the city's Independence Square had an opportunity to view the Klitschko-Hide fight live from London.

Source: "Vitalii Klychko wins super heavyweight boxing championship," by Roman Woronowycz, Kyiv Press Bureau, The Ukrainian Weekly, July 4, 1999, Vol. LXVII, No. 27.

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