Wladimir Klitschko at 40: Recalling the Highs and Lows of His Boxing Career

If life does begin at 40, as the title of Walter B. Pitkin's self-help book in the 1950s suggested, Wladimir Klitschko still has time to add to his long list of achievements in the ring.

The Ukrainian—born on March 25, 1976—has already gone from Olympic champion as an amateur to the dominant force in the heavyweight division.

His long reign at the top was ended by Tyson Fury in 2015, but Klitschko is still not ready to hang up the gloves. He has overcome setbacks before—could he defy his critics again and regain his titles?

As he reaches a major milestone in his life, Bleacher Report has picked out some of the notable highs and lows the fighter has experienced through the years.

If you have any personal highlights/lowlights you care to share as Klitschko turns 40, please use the comments section.

Oh, and happy birthday, Wladimir. Seeing as you're not retiring, don't eat too much cake.

High: Winning Olympic Gold

RICK BOWMER/Associated Press

Wladimir Klitschko defeated Paea Wolfgramm to become super heavyweight champion.

Before he turned pro, Klitschko had a successful amateur career that spanned 140 fights.

The Ukrainian finished second in the 1996 European Championships, but he really came to the attention of the boxing world when he won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in the same year.

Campaigning at super heavyweight, Klitschko defeated American Lawrence Clay-Bey, Swede Attila Levin (who was knocked out in Round 1) and Russian Alexei Lezin to reach the final.

Klitschko then overcame Paea Wolfgramm of Tonga by a 7-3 score to take top spot on the podium in a weight class that had only been in the Games since 1984.

So where is his medal now? Not in Wladimir's possession it seems, as he sold one of his prized possessions in 2012 for $1 million to raise money for the Klitschko Brothers Foundation, per CNN.

However, there is the possibility that Klitschko could still end up owning a gold medal.

AIBA president Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu wants to have professional boxers cleared to fight in the Olympics, per Sky Sports. The rule change could come into place for Rio in 2016—and Klitschko is keen to compete.

Per Peter Gilbert of Sky Sports, Dr. Steelhammer could make a summer appointment for Brazil: "It would be an incredible feeling to be at the Olympics again 20 years after my gold medal in Atlanta."

Low: Losing to Ross Puritty

Moving into the paid ranks after the 1996 Olympics, Klitschko quickly reeled off 24 straight wins at the start of his pro career.

He was taken the distance just once before his unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of Ross Puritty at the Sport Palace in Kiev, Ukraine, on Dec. 5, 1998.

The bout—Klitschko's first as a pro in his homeland—appeared to be going to plan as the favourite built up a healthy lead on the scorecards.

However, dragged beyond eight rounds for the first time, Klitschko ran out of steam.

He was dropped twice in Round 10 (albeit one of the knockdowns was ruled a slip) and, when he continued to take punishment in the next, his trainer, Fritz Sdunek, stepped into the ring to stop proceedings.

The shock victory proved to be a career highlight for Puritty, who lost to the other Klitschko, Vitali, in 2001.

The American later told Ognian Georgiev of Bulgaria Today (h/t FightNews.com): "I knocked him out, because, basically, I didn’t give up, didn’t quit. He kept punching and I just kept taking whatever he punched. I fought back and lucky for me he couldn’t take my punches as I took his."

High: Winning His First World Title

FRANK AUGSTEIN/Associated Press

Wladimir Klitschko dominated Chris Byrd to claim the WBO heavyweight title.

On Oct. 14, 2000, Klitschko claimed the WBO heavyweight title with victory over Chris Byrd.

The American had become the organisation's new champion when Vitali Klitschko had to pull out of his fight with Byrd after Round 9 due to a shoulder injury.

However, Rapid Fire's reign proved to be short. Wladimir made sure the belt was quickly back in the hands of a Klitschko family member.

He dominated Byrd, who was knocked down twice but bravely fought on to hear the final bell.

The judges made the challenger the unanimous winner by scores of 120-106, 119-107 and 118-108. A new king of the WBO was crowned in Cologne, Germany.

After retirement, Byrd admitted he had always hoped for an instant rematch with Vitali, rather than facing his younger sibling.

He told Ryan Songalia of BoxingScene.com: "I ask for one [a rematch] but they wanted me to fight Wladimir instead, which is a harder style for me and he’s very strong. I thank God I had the opportunity to fight the both of them, nobody wants to go to Germany. But if you have to do it, you just do it."

Byrd did get another chance to face Wladimir—he was stopped in Round 7 in their second meeting, in 2006, to lose the IBF's version of the world title.

Low: Losing to Corrie Sanders

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Corrie Sanders produced a stunning upset to take the WBO belt from Wladimir Klitschko.

After beating Byrd to become the new WBO champion, Klitschko reeled off five successful defences of the title in just over two years.

He stopped Derrick Jefferson, Charles Shufford, Frans Botha and Ray Mercer, while Jameel McCline looked set to lose in the same manner before he was pulled out by his corner after Round 10.

However, Wladimir's sixth defence saw him come out on the wrong end of a shock result.

Journeyman Corrie Sanders was not expected to pose too many problems for the champion on March 8, 2003.

The South African southpaw had fought just three rounds since being knocked out by Hasim Rahman in May 2000.

Yet Sanders had one key ingredient for success in Hannover, Germany—power. He stunned the heavily pro-Klitschko audience by knocking his rival down twice in the final minute of Round 1.

Klitschko made it through the first, but he was soon down again in the next. When he fell to the canvas for a fourth time, referee Genaro Rodriguez called a halt to proceedings.

The fight was over after just three minutes and 27 seconds.

The Ukrainian admitted during a round with Evan Rothman of Golf Week in 2002:

"

He [Sanders] was what people in boxing call a bum. I was tired, I’d been busy. I went into the ring thinking I’ll knock this guy out in one round and go home. This is the worst way to think. It’s a psychological disaster. You can’t think about your vacation when you’re about to step in the ring. In my entire career, nobody ever beat me like this.

"

High: Surviving Against Samuel Peter

The loss to Sanders could be brushed off as a blip, but when Klitschko was also stopped by Lamon Brewster just over a year later, questions were raised about the Ukrainian's durability.

Dr. Steelhammer cautiously returned after the Brewster fight with victories over DaVarryl Williamson and Eliseo Castillo, but there were still major doubts over his chin.

When he was booked to face Samuel Peter in an eliminator for the IBF and WBO titles, it was seen as a serious risk that could derail his career.

The Nigerian Nightmare was 24-0 going into the bout on Sept. 24, 2005. He had a reputation as a heavy hitter, making him exactly the kind of fighter Klitschko was being told to avoid.

There were moments at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City when it seemed Klitschko would come a cropper again.

He was knocked down three times, yet on each occasion returned to his feet. There were no stamina issues either, as the fight went the distance.

Klitschko was given the nod 114-111 by all three judges. Recording a win was vital, but more importantly he had gone a long way to proving his doubters wrong.

In his post-fight interview, Klitschko said, per Dan Rafael of ESPN.com: "It's wonderful to be back in the heavyweight picture. Hopefully, I convinced some of the critics that I have the stamina to go 12 rounds."

Low: Failing to Fire Against Tyson Fury

PATRIK STOLLARZ/Getty Images

Tyson Fury (right) found a way to bring an end to Wladimir Klitschko's long reign.

All good things must come to an end (although some will question if Klitschko's long run of dominance was actually a good thing for the sport).

After a run of 22 straight wins that spanned 11 years, the Ukrainian's reign as the unified champion came to a halt on Nov. 28, 2015 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

In his 28th world-title fight, a new record, he lost to Tyson Fury, an Englishman who had entertained the media in the buildup with some of his antics (including dressing up as Batman for a press conference).

The challenger found ways to get under Klitschko's skin before the first bell.

He complained about the state of the ring, leading to a layer of foam being taken off, and then forced the champion to have his hands re-wrapped, per Sean Ingle for the Observer.

What really bothered Klitschko, however, was Fury's game plan once the fight started.

Using head movement and feints to keep his opponent guessing, Fury found a way to nullify the Ukrainian, who often threatened to throw punches without ever bothering to do so. He landed just 52 times all night.

The underdog triumphed by unanimous decision, despite being deducted a point in Round 11, to claim the IBF, WBA Super and WBO belts.

It could have easily been the end for Klitschko, but instead he revealed on his Instagram account at the end of 2015 that he would be taking up the clause in his contract for a rematch.

As yet, no one knows quite where, or when, it will take place.

What we do know for certain, though, is Klitschko will be 40 whenever he next steps inside the ring.