Wladimir Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders, billed as The Next Big Thing was a professional boxing match contested on 8 March 2003 for the WBO Heavyweight Championship.[1]
| Date | 8 March 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Preussag Arena, Hannover, Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBO Heavyweight Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sanders defeated Klitschko via 2nd round KO | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background
Since beating Chris Byrd to win the WBO belt Wladimir Klitschko had made five successful defences, all of which had ended within the distance and was ranked as the second best Heavyweight in the world by Ring magazine behind only WBC & Lineal champion Lennox Lewis.[2] Since a knockout loss to Hasim Rahman in May 2000, Corrie Sanders had only fought in a total of three rounds in the intervening two years and nine months.
The fight
Sanders produced a massive upset to stop Klitschko in two rounds knocking him down four times in the process. The first coming with 33 seconds left in the opening round and the last coming 27 seconds into the second which prompted referee Genaro Rodriguez to stop the bout.
Aftermath
In December 2003 Sanders vacated the WBO belt in order to get a shot at a major world title, which came just over a year after his victory over Wladimir when he faced his brother Vitali Klitschko for the WBC championship left vacant after the retirement of Lewis. Vitali would ultimately stop him in the 8th round. He would have another four fights before retiring after a loss in 2008.
Wladimir would have two more quick knockout victories before facing Lamon Brewster for the now vacant WBO belt, however he was once again upset by the underdog.[3]
Undercard
Confirmed bouts:[4]
Broadcasting
| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 Germany | ZDF |
 United States | HBO |
References
| Preceded by vs. Jameel McCline |
Wladimir Klitschko' bouts 8 March 2003 |
Succeeded by vs. Fabio Eduardo Moli |
| Preceded by vs. Otis Tisdale |
Corrie Sanders's bouts 8 March 2003 |
Succeeded by vs. Vitali Klitschko |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous: Juan Carlos Rubio W10 Francisco Bojado |
The Ring Magazine Upset of the Year 2003 |
Next: Glen Johnson KO9 Roy Jones, Jr. |