The former World Heavyweight Champion showed he had lost little of his power and skills after an absence of almost four years when he came back to the ring to beat Nigeria’s Samuel Peter to regain the World Boxing Council title, in Berlin in October.
The 37-year-old Ukrainian took the gamble of returning for a title fight without a warm-up, after retiring following a succession of training injuries.
He said: “I knew if I lost I would not get a second chance. It was a one-way ticket and I used my chance.”
