KIEV 1992...
- Are we rolling? - Yes.
Wait a minute. Mom.
Close the window.
I was basically...
...a tall boy,
but I was skinny.
Let's stop. That's not right.
I need to take a break.
The first professional fight I saw was a heavyweight match.
For the first time in my life,
I heard what it sounds like...
...when a gloved fist strikes a human head.
The sound was so unpleasant.
I thought, 'This is brutal.'
I was extremely nervous before my first fight.
I was terrified of getting into the ring.
My legs felt weak. I sensed the crowd.
I knew the danger and was very scared.
It's different in the crowd- not at the center of the action.
It all looks very different from the inside.
Our opponents don't know about our secret weapon.
Even with only one person in the ring, they're fighting two people,
and together we are twice as strong.
Your brother gives you extra strength and he gives you extra strength.
No one can stop you.
Fighting is in Vitali's blood.
He was born a fighter, I became one.
As a fighter, or a second,
you have so much adrenalin...
...that you develop a kind of tunnel vision...
...and you ignore everything around you.
You think only about your strategy.
It's very dangerous.
A single punch can break your nose or take out your eye.
You can even be killed.
If you're afraid of being injured or damaging your health,
if you're not ready to give your all,
then you'll never be a success.
I worry when my children are boxing.
It frightens me.
It's their life and they have my blessing,
but during their fights...
...I always go out for a walk.
I take my mobile with me, and wait for the call.
CHRIS BYRD - FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
LAMON BREWSTER - FORMER
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
LENNOX LEWIS - FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
Mom?
Everything's okay. He's doing fine.
A small cut under his eye, but nothing serious.
How are you?
He rang me and asked how I was.
I said I was fine and we chatted. Then he rang me again.
NADESHDA KLITSCHKO...
...I asked if he'd forgotten something.
And he said, 'To tell you I love you.'
That's what he's like.
Vitali and I were at the airport one day.
A man and his son were standing next to us.
WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO, SR.
When the boy saw Vitali he asked,
'Is that the real Vitali Klitschko?
'Can I touch him? '
It was very special for him.
I could see the happiness in the boy's eyes.
Many people immediately feel very fond of my sons.
EMANUEL STEWARD COACH OF WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO...
...I was born in Central Asia in the summer of 1971,
but I am Ukrainian.
I come from a military family,
stationed in different places...
...all over the Soviet Union.
KAZAKHSTAN - ZHANGIZTOBE NEAR THE CHINESE BORDER...
...I was a working mother.
Vitali was six years old...
...and Vovchik was one year old.
Wladimir's pet name is Vovchik.
Vitali had to take care of Wladimir.
I had flexible working hours so I'd go home to make them lunch...
...and then I'd go back to work and leave them alone together.
It was a big responsibility.
I had to take my little brother with me wherever I went...
...and I still have to look after him today.
Nowadays, when I give my little brother a few tips,
and he says, 'Stop fussing. I know that, Vitali.'
I tell him, 'When I was little,
'our parents gave me the job of looking after you.
'They haven't told me to stop yet.'
So I'm still doing it today.
I know that lots of people...
...can barely tell the brothers apart.
Many people think they're twins,
NATALIYA KLITSCHKO WIFE OF VITALI KLITSCHKO...
...but really they're very different.
When Vitali gets something into his head,
he'll follow it through.
Wladimir has his own goals, too,
but he's a lot more cautious and diplomatic.
Crazy.
Due to my father's job...
...we moved around a lot from one place to the next.
So I attended a lot of different schools.
At each new garrison school that Vitali went to,
he would get teased and picked on.
All I could do was to teach my eldest son...
...how to stand up for himself.
I drummed it into him that if he was going to fight,
then he had to win.
Losing was not an option.
We never dreamed that one day...
...our children would be professional boxers.
One day, a mother came to see us at home.
Her son had a broken nose.
I asked how it had happened, but he just stood there in silence.
So I told Vitali to apologize.
When he said that he wouldn't, I asked him why,
and he said, 'He deserved it.
'He threw my hat in a puddle after I'd warned him not to.
'When he did it again, I punched him.'
UKRAINE - KIEV FORMER MILITARY AIRBASE - ZHULYANY
My father was transferred here to Kiev...
...from Prague in the former Czechoslovakia.
Just for a couple of weeks.
Then we were supposed to get a flat in the city.
That couple of weeks turned into exactly two years.
For those two years, we lived in this room.
Five of us:
my grandmother, mother, father and brother.
My uncle, too, sometimes.
We had that room, and a kitchen that was here.
There was a dividing wall,
which isn't there anymore.
So this was the kitchen.
No shower and no toilet.
The toilet was outside.
It was in this corridor that Vitali said,
'Wladimir, put the gloves on. Let's do some boxing.'
I was just 10 or 11 years old.
I was standing just here. I remember like it was yesterday.
Vitali was standing opposite and he punched me.
I didn't like that at all. It made me scared of boxing.
I often took them shooting at the military base.
I showed them how to handle a weapon,
how to load a pistol, aim properly...
...and work the trigger.
Of course, Vitali was the one...
...who was always getting into trouble.
He messed around with lots of things.
One time, on a military base,
we found some grenades and live ammunition.
We threw them into a fire.
It made a lot of noise. It was fun.
One time we found an anti-tank mine.
It was a huge disc.
I took it home with me...
...and the only place I could find to hide it...
...was under my father's bed.
I went to bed...
...and then I heard my father shouting.
He came to me and grabbed me by the ear.
He said, 'What is that? ' I said, 'It's a mine.'
'Did you bring it in here? ' I said, 'Yes.'
Our parents were strict, so he ended up paying for that...
...with a belt on his bottom.
Comrade Colonel.
Reporting for duty in the clean-up operation at Chernobyl.
The first report just said...
...that something bad had happened.
The alarm was raised.
I was the leader of an air force unit...
...that was immediately relocated to the scene of the incident.
CHERNOBYL April 1986
Directly after the explosion,
several workers were sent to the scene of the accident.
Using just their bare hands,
they had to clear the radioactive debris.
Come on, we're going.
You, too, get out of here.
We dropped lead onto the reactor...
...until it was completely covered.
They flew day and night.
Their flight path was exactly 100 meters from here,
so we heard them day and night.
But after a while you stopped hearing them,
because you'd got so used to the sound.
From the very beginning,
the government tried to cover up the truth...
...and play down the situation.
We were given the impression that it was all under control.
The vehicles and helicopters then came back here...
...and first had to be washed down.
All of the radioactive water...
...flowed into huge pools...
...and I played in those pools...
...with my paper boats.
It was a huge tragedy.
Children were evacuated as a first priority.
We sent Wladimir to a holiday camp on the Sea of Azov.
Those who were able to leave Kiev...
...took the opportunity to do so,
but if you're a soldier you have to fulfill your duties.
Many of my comrades...
...received fatal doses of radiation.
They're no longer alive.
Our father spent a lot of time at Chernobyl...
...and Chernobyl got him, too, in the end.
The doctors said,
'It’s the result of Chernobyl.
'Cancer.'
This is our gallery with all our photos.
Chuck Norris came to visit us once.
Western martial arts were banned for a long time in the Soviet Union.
You could be prosecuted for practicing them.
We were even banned from watching western martial arts films...
...but as everyone knows,
ANDREJ SCHISTOW KICKBOXING COACH...
...forbidden fruits taste the sweetest.
We were crazy about that sport.
We went to karate lessons...
...and our parents made us kimonos out of some white cloth.
We were always screaming 'Kiai.'
and running around everywhere.
We got wooden boards and tried to smash them.
They had posters of western stars in their rooms,
like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris.
All of their idols were wonderfully athletic...
...and my children wanted to be exactly like them.
Their room was plastered with photos and posters.
One day some boys turned up...
...to one of my illegal training sessions.
As I was showing them the basics, one boy wasn't following me.
He was completely uncoordinated in his movements.
If you told him to go left, he would go right.
He always did the opposite of what he was told.
That was the first time I met Vitali Klitschko.
THE KICKBOXING BAN...
...IN THE SOVIET UNION IS ABOLISHED IN 1989
He became Ukrainian heavyweight champion...
...and then champion of the Soviet Union.
Then we were invited to a contest in America.
The USA versus the Soviet team.
FLORIDA WEST PALM BEACH...
...I was brainwashed when I was growing up.
Every morning at school we had to write...
...about all the bad things in America.
America was our enemy.
America meant capitalism,
where people treated others like slaves.
We'd been fed all that since kindergarten.
It was like a trip to the moon.
We had heard a lot about Coca-Cola...
...and when I tasted it for the first time,
I felt I could drink a whole bucket.
I was completely knocked out.
We could spend all day in shopping malls...
...with our mouths hanging open, looking around us.
Of course, we didn't have any money.
We just wanted to take in all the smells...
...and be able to touch things.
How can there be 100 different types of cheese?
That's madness.
There's only one type of cheese. It's called cheese.
But they had 100 different types. I couldn't understand it.
Why did they need so many shoes?
One pair is enough.
Okay, maybe two pairs, one for sport.
When I got back, I said to my father,
who was a Communist,
'Dad, they've been telling us complete nonsense every day.
'It’s such a lovely country. The people are so friendly.'
I remember him saying,
'No, they just showed you the good side.
'They'll use that as propaganda. America is a dreadful place.'
My parents like living here in Florida in winter...
...because it's cold in the Ukraine.
I understand what my father went through.
Today he has a different view of the world.
He comes to Florida for his holidays.
He doesn't just like the weather...
...but also the people and the country itself.
KIEV CSKA - ARMY SPORTS CLUB
Vitali came from the world of kickboxing.
He was athletic but only weighed 90 kilograms.
I soon realized it would be difficult for Vitali...
...in the world of real boxing.
WLADIMIR ZOLOTAREW - BOXING COACH, ARMY SPORTS CLUB - KIEV
He couldn't even do a lap without getting a stitch.
Vitali, don't go so fast.
Shut up.
Vitali laughs and says I used to torture him.
In a way, that's perfectly true.
But the result is pretty good.
Vadim, my trainer, made me a lot stronger.
It was really tough.
I wanted to stop because I couldn't go on.
I didn't want to go to training,
I was sick of all the strain.
My body was saying, 'No,'
and my brain was saying, 'You don't need this.'
But I carried on anyway.
It was really tough.
At some point Vitali asked...
...if he could bring his little brother along.
'Of course you can,' I said.
From then on, they always came together.
How can you compare
Vitali and Wladimir?
Vitali is made of stone...
...and Wladimir is made of clay.
When I taught Vitali something new,
it would take a while for him to perfect the move.
Carving stone takes time.
Wladimir was easier to mould,
but he would weather more quickly.
They are two distinct fighters...
...and needed different approaches.
I first met them in a disco in 1993.
An American place in downtown Kiev.
FALK NEBIGER FRIEND FROM KIEV
The boys drove up in a Lada, a car that was all the rage.
The name of the color was Wet Asphalt.
It was the coolest car on the market.
They sat there in their tracksuits and then came into the disco.
It was the place to be in the Ukraine at that time.
We called them The Panthers...
...because they moved through the disco just like panthers,
with all the girls saying, 'Hey, it's the Klitschkos.'
They were less well known then but were very recognizable...
...as brothers - and as big guys who moved like panthers.
I don't think they danced but they played pool...
...and they threw the right glances in the right directions.
A lot of people had left Kiev at that time.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union...
...many educated people, businessmen and so on...
...saw no future for themselves here.
So they left Kiev and emigrated somewhere.
It was a difficult time in the Ukraine.
There were a lot of problems.
The economy had failed,
the Soviet system had collapsed...
...with no replacement at the time.
There were no laws, no rules, nothing at all.
Social problems were rife.
Many professional athletes turned to crime.
Gangs of thugs...
...would mug people in the street.
They were real gangsters.
Because I was a strong boy, I often used to hear things like:
'Hey, you've got what it takes.
'You don't need to go to school. We can use you.'
Those are the kind of offers I used to get.
But it's not all about easy money.
You need to know exactly what you want out of life.
GERMANY FLENSBURG BOXING CLUB
The center of the ring was here.
The ring started at this green line...
...and went to here.
The ring was five meters square.
A team of between 11 and 15 boxers needs a few substitutes...
...in case someone drops out.
Every match is about winning so you can't afford losers.
NORBERT ZEWUHN - FORMER MANAGER FLENSBURG BOXING CLUB, GERMANY
We went to the World Amateur Championship in Berlin...
...to see who was available.
BERLIN 1995
We really liked Vitali Klitschko from the Ukraine...
...and asked him to fight for us in the German Boxing League...
...starting in November.
He agreed but before the season began,
he fought in Bangkok at the Military Championships...
...and received a ban.
We found out three weeks before the season opened.
We'd already paid all the expenses...
...and Vitali had been to visit us in Flensburg.
His name was in our programs, but he wasn't able to come.
We were in a very tight spot.
We put a telephone call through to the Ukraine.
They told us something that we could hardly believe.
They said, 'No need to panic.
'We've got a guy who looks like him and he's just as good.'
We had no alternative so we went to the airport...
...and someone came out...
...who looked just like Vitali Klitschko,
the one we'd actually signed up.
How could there be two people who look so alike?
We didn't know he had a brother.
They didn't say they'd be sending his brother,
just that they had someone who looked like him.
A new dimension to league boxing in Flensburg.
The undisputed star is from the Ukraine,
the 19-year-old Wladimir Klitschko.
The match was over within a minute.
Wladimir Klitschko has lost only 10 of his 121 matches to date.
An Olympic hope for the Ukraine.
We kept an eye on the Olympic Games...
...because we'd already signed him up for another season.
He won the gold medal, which was fantastic.
We were proud to have a heavyweight Olympic champion...
...on the Flensburg team.
We were already thinking about building a new hall...
...because instead of 1,200 spectators...
...we were now expecting more like 4,000.
Then the news came that both the Klitschko brothers...
...were turning professional.
So that was the end of that.
When Wladimir won the gold medal at the Olympics...
...the man next to me said, 'Congratulations.
'Here, take my mobile.
'Don King wants to talk to you.'
I was very surprised to be suddenly talking to Don King.
Don King.
The man who promoted Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.
Talking to me.
I was in shock.
I spoke to Wladimir about it later...
...and we decided to fly over and visit Don King.
LAMON BREWSTER - FORMER
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
How would we get these mountains of gold?
I didn't understand. He told us just to sign.
And I thought to myself, 'No.'
I said, 'Wladimir, we don't have to sign anything.'
He sat down and started playing like a professional.
We were impressed and thought, 'What a multi-talented person.
'He's not just a boxing promoter. He's an artist, too.'
DON KING PLAYS: 'DON GIOVANNI - OVERTURE,' W. A. MOZART
Yes, he really was an artist.
I walked around the side and saw that it was all a fake.
The piano was playing itself.
I could see one of the pedals moving without him touching it.
That's right.
I am a Berliner.
He was certainly an actor.
We decided to turn him down.
We didn't want the deal.
He wasn't an honest person.
HAMBURG 1996...
...It’s normal for a heavyweight Olympic champion...
...to get offers from all over the place,
KLAUS-PETER KOHL BOXING PROMOTER...
...but we had already built up quite a close relationship.
Power. Get to it. Come on, jab.
Yes.
There are several ways of training up boxers,
but Wladimir was very young and had no professional experience...
...and neither did Vitali.
You can spar and train all you want,
but it's not the same as a fight.
PROFESSIONAL BOXING DEBUT NOVEMBER 16th, 1996
At my first professional match, with my torso bare,
I had small gloves and no protection at all.
I really had to grit my teeth.
I felt my whole body tingling.
You can feel the heat of the lights that are shining on you.
Your opponent is there, and something clicks,
and then you're off.
My hands felt very solid...
...and I could sense the amazing power in my fists...
...due to my hand wraps and all the new equipment...
...that you have as a professional boxer.
Suddenly it all happened very fast...
...and he was on the floor.
In my head I was saying, 'Don't get up.'
I had this killer instinct in me.
'Don't get up. I'll kill you. Don't get up.'
He got up.
A short right hook. It's a direct hit.
Take the mouth guard out.
I thought, 'Okay, we're just boxing.'
But I didn't expect to knock him out.
It gives you a certain kick, knowing what you're capable of.
I tasted blood, so to speak.
Winning by KO in the first round after one minute and 36 seconds,
Wladimir Klitschko.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I think we're going to have fun with the Klitschko brothers.
From the very beginning they were always asking,
'What is the plan? ' and 'What are we doing next? '
The plan was to make them both world champions.
From the start, I knew they had what it took.
They weren't taken seriously...
...because they were so tall and so different from each other.
When they became professionals and started knocking everybody out,
often both on the same night at the same event,
HARTMUT SCHERZER SPORTS JOURNALIST...
...that's when you really noticed...
...that they were like forces of nature.
Vitali has an unconventional style.
His brother thinks it's terrible.
It's impossible to second guess Vitali. He fights like a cowboy.
His fists hang at his hips, then he suddenly draws the gun.
He has great reflexes.
He doesn't avoid punches by keeping his guard up,
but instead by just using his reflexes.
Wladimir's style, on the other hand, is more classic.
He has a fantastic left jab,
with which he can control the whole match.
That's really his best punch.
Wladimir's boxing is very intelligent.
For him a match is like a game of chess.
That made me realize...
...that they had the ability to become world champions,
at least one of them, if not both.
WBO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HERBIE HIDE vs. VITALI KLITSCHKO
June 26th, 1999...
...I'm pleased to say I broke a record.
It's still a Guinness World Record to this day.
I knocked Hide out at the start of the second round...
...and I became World Champion quicker than Mike Tyson.
In terms of the rounds and time it took...
...to win the World Champion title.
DAN RAFAEL BOXING JOURNALIST
WBO TITLE DEFENSE VITALI KLITSCHKO vs. CHRIS BYRD
April 1st, 2000
CHRIS BYRD - FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD...
...I think Vitali had a phase where he believed...
...that his body was saying 'No.'
It was his biggest handicap...
...and that's what happened when he fought Chris Byrd.
In the third round I took a punch...
...or I did some kind of movement...
...after which I had intense pain in my shoulder.
I could only half see my opponent.
There was a mist in front of my eyes.
The pain was getting worse and worse...
...and I could feel that I was getting weaker.
LARRY MERCHANT TELEVISION BOXING ANALYST
The rims of his eyes were black from the pain.
When I see that one of my fighters...
...isn't able to defend himself or he has no chance,
I end the fight.
FRITZ SDUNEK COACH OF VITALI KLITSCHKO
The boxer's pain is my pain, too.
I know them well enough to judge...
...how much longer I can let them stay in the ring.
Afterwards I went to see Vitali.
He was alone at home with the newspapers.
They had labeled him a wimp.
He needed psychological support.
We talked and I said,
'Vitali, we must organize a press conference for today.'
The doctors had said that if he'd carried on...
...his supraspinatus tendon would have been destroyed...
...and his career would have been over.
At that point I received a letter from Max Schmeling.
That helped me a lot, mentally.
Max wrote,
'I've hit rock bottom countless times in my life,
'but the important thing is that you never stay there.