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Vitali Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders

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Let the Next Era Begin
Date24 April 2004
VenueStaples Center, Los Angeles, California, US
Title(s) on the lineWBC and The Ring heavyweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Ukraine Vitali Klitschko South Africa Corrie Sanders
Nickname "Dr. Ironfist" "The Sniper"
Hometown Kyiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine Pretoria, Gauteng, SA
Purse $952,500
Pre-fight record 33–2 (32 KO) 39–2 (29 KO)
Age 32 years, 9 months 38 years, 3 months
Height 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 245 lb (111 kg) 235 lb (107 kg)
Style Orthodox Southpaw
Recognition WBC/The Ring
No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight[1]
WBC
No. 2 Ranked Heavyweight
The Ring
No. 3 Ranked Heavyweight
Result
Klitschko defeated Sanders via 8th round TKO

Vitali Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders, billed as Let the Next Era Begin, was a professional boxing match contested on 24 April 2004 for the WBC Heavyweight Championship.

Background

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After his TKO loss to Lennox Lewis in June 2003 Vitali Klitschko first sort out an immediate rematch, however after some initial interest[2] Lewis ultimately declined, deciding not to fight for the rest of 2003.[3] As a result, Klitschko faced Kirk Johnson in a WBC Heavyweight Title Eliminator stopping him in 2 rounds making him Lewis's mandatory contender.[4]

In January 2004 Lewis announced his retirement from boxing leaving the WBC belt vacant.[5]

Corrie Sanders caused the Upset of the Year in 2003 when he knocked out Vitali's younger brother Klitschko to win the WBO belt. After vacating the belt he agreed to face Vitali for the now vacant WBC title.[6][7]

Going into the fight Vitali Klitschko was ranked as the best Heavyweight in the world by Ring magazine (Corrie Sanders was 3rd).[8]

The fight

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The fight proved to be a slugfest with Sanders landing some big left hands on Vitali, but the bigger man was throwing and landing more punches.

By the eighth round, Sanders was bleeding and looking worn out. He managed a last flurry which briefly troubled Klitschko before a straight right halted the attack. Referee John Schorle stepped in towards the end of round after Sanders took a string of 20 unanswered punches giving Klitschko a TKO victory.[9]

According to CompuBox Klitschko landed 230 punches with 56% accuracy, against Sanders's 51 punches with 22% accuracy.[10] There were no knockdown[11]

Aftermath

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Sanders was taken to a hospital for a hematoma of his left ear however his manager, Vernon Smith, said "He's all right; he's cracking jokes. He took quite a shot behind the left ear. He was exhausted, he was tired. He did not disagree with the referee's decision. He got beaten by a better fighter."

Klitschko praised Sanders durability saying "I was surprised he never went down. He took so many punches it was unbelievable."

After Sanders' death in 2012 Vitali praised him to Bild Plus saying “Corrie Sanders was the most difficult opponent I ever fought. Corrie was fast, could give and take a punch. His style was dangerous and did not suit me. I was very pleased to be able to win this fight.”[12]

Undercard

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Confirmed bouts:[13]

Winner Loser Weight division/title belt(s) disputed Result
United States José Navarro Mexico Martin Armenta Bantamweight (8 rounds) 5th-round TKO.
Mexico Carlos Bojorquez United States Ronald Weaver Middleweight (8 rounds) 4th-round KO.
Lebanon Ahmad Kaddour Mexico Juan Carlos Garcia Middleweight (8 rounds) 4th-round RTD
United States Sumya Anani United States Lisa Holewyne Welterweight (6 rounds) Unanimous decision.
Ukraine Taras Bidenko Mexico Agustin Corpus Heavyweight (6 rounds) Unanimous decision.
Mexico Efren Hinojosa Mexico Jose Luis Montes Welterweight (4 rounds) Unanimous decision.

Broadcasting

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Country Broadcaster
 Germany ZDF
 Hungary RTL Klub
 United States HBO

References

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  1. ^ "Ring Magazine Monthly Rankings - Last Updated 04.07.04". world-boxing-rankings.com. World Boxing Rankings. Archived from the original on 3 June 2004. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Lewis set for Klitschko rematch". BBC News. 3 July 2003.
  3. ^ "Lewis 'snubs' Klitschko". BBC News. 4 August 2003.
  4. ^ Rawling, John (8 December 2003). "Klitschko looks champion". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Lewis bows out as champion". BBC News. 6 February 2004.
  6. ^ "Corrie Sanders: The Man Who Changed The Klitschkos' Lives Forever". 24 September 2012./
  7. ^ Rawling, John (27 February 2004). "Sanders to take on Klitschko for vacant WBC title". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  8. ^ "The Ring Magazine's Annual Ratings: 2003 - BoxRec". boxrec.com.
  9. ^ "Klitschko crowned champion". BBC News. 25 April 2004.
  10. ^ "Vitali Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders".
  11. ^ Springer, Steve (25 April 2004). "Klitschko Punches Ticket to Big Time". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Vitali Klitschko: Corrie Sanders Was My Toughest Fight — Boxing News".
  13. ^ "BoxRec - event".
Preceded by Vitali Klitschko' bouts
24 April 2004
Succeeded by
Preceded by Corrie Sanders's bouts
24 April 2004
Succeeded by
vs. Alexey Varakin