Wladimir Klitschko (Ukraine) vs Ross Puritty (USA) || Klitschko's First Loss || Full Highlights

Wladimir Klitschko 225 lbs lost to Ross Puritty 250 lbs by TKO at 0:18 in round 11 of 12
Date: 1998-12-05
Location: Sport Palace, Kiev, Ukraine
WBC International Heavyweight Title (3rd defense by Klitschko).
Fighting for the first time as a professional in his home country of Ukraine, Klitschko, with a record of 24-0 (21 KOs), was a heavy betting favorite against Puritty, who was 24-13-1 (22 KOs) and had lost three of his previous four fights.
Klitschko was the much busier fighter. He boxed, jabbed, and threw combinations to the body and head while Puritty covered up and stalked.
Klitschko was winning round after round, but he didn't pace himself and was exhausted by round ten. He went down with 30 seconds left in the tenth round, but the referee ruled it to be a slip. In the final seconds of the round, he went down again as he backed away from the onrushing Puritty. The referee ruled it a knockdown and gave Klischko a mandatory eight-count.
After taking several hard shots at the beginning of the eleventh round, Klischko's trainer, Fritz Sdunek, entered the ring and stopped the fight.
"I was unable to control my emotions in front of my countrymen in Kiew," Klitschko later explained. "Usually, I am able to stay cool inside the ring. In that night, I wasn't. I didn't stick to my game. I wasted my energy and I wasted my punches. The loss hurt me like a deep scar. But I also gained a lot of experience. I feel matured by 10 years."
“I just let him punch himself out. I’m sure he would’ve knocked out a lot of guys before that. I just happened to take a good punch,” Puritty said years later. "I feel to this day that had he been more patient and boxed, he would’ve won."
After winning his next seven fights, Klitschko hoped to have a rematch with Puritty in Hamburg, Germany on March 18, 2000, but Puritty rejected the offer made by Universum Box-Promotion, Klitschko's management. Puritty lost to Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir's older brother, by an eleventh-round TKO on December 8, 2001.

[RivalAudioTTV]

Imagine landing 1000 clean shots, and your opponent is still just tracking you down...

[richardwilliams]

Purity's game plan was spot on and he still had the gas at the end Goodon you
mate.proud of you.
From New Zealand🇳🇿

[seyiolubunmi]

Boxing is just about endurance, stamina and resilience. "Once you gas out, you are gone".

[mikeharris]

Love the absorbitive high guard of Ross. Dude was a beast.

[salahsultan]

This is a real boxing, not like nowadays boxing and boxers.

[pauleagle]

That's a hell of defense. He got pounded hard but his face seem nothing happened and came back to win.

[starrlite]

Arm-guard-a-dope! Great strategy by Puritty. A great journeyman who got a piece of the heavyweight championship. I met and lightly sparred with him years ago in OKC(he took it easy on me and everyone else that wanted to get in and sparr a bit (so we could all say we sparred with a former heavyweight champ). A gentleman and tough as nails in shape fighter! An extremely durable fighter that could of gone way higher if he had been in the right coaching and management.

[thepanther]

Klitscho punched himself out. I bet he learned allot from this fight.

[mrkipple]

Ross was one of those guys you don't expect to beat a Big name fighter, . but he comes out of the blue and takes the show, . great win especially against a Klitschko a very Big name

[jkk]

This was a sweet win, that high guard was magical

[chukanworah]

jaw is made from and power won the fight.

[cycletouringoz]

One must wonder what Purityy could have become / achieved if someone like a Manny Steward had trained him from the start of his career. His record looks average on paper but he fought some top fighters of the day with just three stoppage losses in his career

[MegaVin]

What a fight klicko got tired with 100 punches to ross and have knocked, amazing endurance of ross

[neivaldoduarte]

Cara... o Ross suportou um castigo tremendo, já o Wladimir... o cara tem as mãos bem pesadas!! Ganhou bem!👏👏👏👏👏

[buelent]

Klitschko Brüder waren beide Oberpfeifen. Dank RTL hat ihnen die passenden 4. Klasse Boxer vorgesetzt.

[electricaf]

Dude got stopped without even getting hit clean😂

[timmakin]

KLITSCHKO WAS HITTING 100 OF PUNCHES AND 1-2 PUNCHES FROM ROSS HE IS GONE.

[MartinWakibe]

I have long experience of watching many boxing fights but this is the most strangest bout that I see a boxer absorbing many pinches only for Ross to win back the

[SIickTurtIe]

Despite losing, I gotta say Klitschko under 240 lbs is fast as fuck.

[thunderstorm]

Good fight . But my G had a heart and is made from the iron core. Good victory for him after taken all what he has