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Boxing

30th Apr 2017

Wladimir Klitschko goes up in everyone’s estimation with first tweet following Anthony Joshua defeat

Great to see

Robert Redmond

Wladimir Klitschko may have lost, but he proved against Anthony Joshua that he’s a true champion.

Klitschko was eventually stopped in the 11th round of the dramatic heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium.

The 41-year-old, who has dominated the division over the past decade, was also knocked down by Joshua in the fifth round.

Few fighters get back up when in the ring with Joshua, but Klitschko not only got back to his feet, but managed to take control of the bout and put Joshua on the canvas in the sixth round.

However, Joshua dug deep, and proved without any question that he’s the real deal.

It was the best heavyweight bout for a long time, and both were rightly praised for their efforts.

Following the epic battle, both men were also very respectful of each other.

Klitschko offered no excuses in his post-fight interview.

While clearly disappointed, the Ukrainian congratulated his 27-year-old opponent, calling him a “gentleman” and thanked the 90,000 in attendance.

Klitschko echoed those sentiments in his first tweet following the fight.

On Sunday morning, the boxer thanked his fans for the support, offered further congratulations to Joshua and said that he “really enjoyed the fight”, despite the end result.

Pure class from a true champion.

Klitschko said following the bout that there’s a rematch clause in the contract. Whether the 41-year-old will step into the ring with Joshua again remains to be seen.

What is certain is that people would pay to watch a rematch.