Ex-boxing champ Klitschko leaves ring
BERLIN — Former heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko announced his immediate retirement from boxing on Thursday.
The decision ends an era when the Klitschko name alone could guarantee one of the biggest fights of the year. At their peak, Klitschko and his brother Vitali held all of the major heavyweight titles between them.
Klitschko, who retired with a 64-5 record, lost his titles to Tyson Fury in 2015 and failed to regain the WBA and IBF belts in April, when Anthony Joshua beat him by an 11th-round technical knockout.
Klitschko had been lined up for a rematch against Joshua, who will now likely face mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev.
“As an amateur and a professional boxer, I have achieved everything I dreamed of, and now I want to start my second career after sports,” Klitschko said in a statement released by his management.
He said that he had deliberately taken a few weeks to reach a decision “to make sure I had enough distance from the (first Joshua) fight at Wembley Stadium.”
An amateur boxing star in his youth, Klitschko turned pro in 1996 after he won the Olympic gold in Atlanta.
His early professional career passed in a blur, with 16 victories in 13 months. He won his first world title in 2000, beating Chris Byrd on points for the WBO belt six months after Byrd had taken the title from Klitschko’s brother Vitali.
Defeats to Corrie Sanders in 2003 and Lamon Brewster in 2004 raised doubts whether Klitschko had the resilience to box at the top level. He answered the doubters with an 11-year unbeaten run from that defeat to Brewster, beating contenders such as Ruslan Chagaev and David Haye along the way with a methodical, tactical style.
He never fought his brother Vitali, saying that would break a promise to their mother.
Predators captain retires after 17 years
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville Predators forward Mike Fisher has retired in what he calls the hardest decision he’s had to make, leaving the defending Stanley Cup finalists in need of a new captain.
The 37-year-old Fisher said in a letter to Predators fans that “I know I’ve made the right one” in opting to retire.
Fisher had 276 goals and 309 assists in 1,088 regular-season games during an NHL career that lasted 17 seasons. He had 23 goals and 28 assists in 13 career playoff games.
He began his career with the Ottawa Senators before getting traded to Nashville in 2011.
Fisher was chosen the Predators’ captain in September 2016. He had 18 goals and 24 assists last season as Nashville earned its first Western Conference title. He’s also husband to country star Carrie Underwood, and they have a son together.
“I approached this season with the mindset that it could be my last, and now that it’s past, I’m looking forward to a future that includes a lot more time with my family,” Fisher wrote. “Things change when you have kids and you have a family. They’ve supported me without question, and now it’s my turn to return the favor.”
Underwood said in an Instagram post that she was “going to miss watching you play” but added that “Isaiah (their son) and I love you so much and are so excited to be able to have you home a lot more.”
The Tennessean first reported Fisher’s retirement.
Fisher’s last game was Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, a 2-0 loss to Pittsburgh. Fisher noted the Predators saw on TV before the game the crowd of fans in Nashville during the run the franchise made to the Stanley Cup.
“Knowing we were so close to winning it all in June only makes it more difficult to leave it behind, but I do so with hope. Endings are always tough, but I believe when something ends, there are new beginnings, new opportunities and new things to be excited for, too,” Fisher wrote.
“I believe that this team, that this city, is going to win a championship, and I’m going to be the biggest fan. No one will be happier than I will be to see it happen, because, these fans, they deserve it.”