Making his first start in six-and-a-half months, Wladimir Klitschko will take on undefeated Eliseo Castillo in an important heavyweight bout Saturday, April 23, in Dortmund, Germany. The match will be shown on HBO After Dark at

9:45 ET/PT. "I am fighting a very dangerous opponent, but it is important for me to fight the best heavyweights that I can," said Klitschko, a former World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion who won a fifth-round technical decision over DaVarryl Williamson in his last start on Oct. 4, 2002, in Las Vegas. "The only way for me to re-establish myself in the division is to fight the toughest fighters. This is going to be a great fight, but I am already in excellent shape and am confident that I will win. My goal is to regain the heavyweight championship, but it is also important for me to win back the fans and the media. An excellent start would be to show them a great performance against a quality opponent on April 23 on HBO."

The younger brother of World Boxing Council heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir (43-3, 39 KOs) won the WBO crown with a decisive 12-round decision over Chris Byrd on Oct. 14, 2000. He made five successful defenses before losing on a shocking second-round TKO to underdog Corrie Sanders on March 2, 2003.

Castillo (18-0-1, 14 KOs), of Miami, by way of Havana, Cuba, registered the biggest triumph of his career in his last outing when he scored a convincing 10-round unanimous decision over former two-time world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer on July 3, 2004. Utilizing fast hands and good movement to outspeed Moorer, the well-conditioned Castillo dictated the pace, landed the sharper punches throughout and won by the scores of 99-91 and 97-93 twice.

Castillo escaped from his home country to the military base at Guantanamo at age 17. Following approximately 90 amateur bouts, he turned pro on Feb. 24, 1996. After opening with 11 consecutive victories, Castillo fought a 10-round draw with Terry Pitts on Nov. 13, 1998. Since the draw, Castillo has won seven consecutive contests. He has tallied five first-round, three second-round and three third-round knockouts in his career.

Click to read more boxing articles by Boxing Press

Discuss in Boxing Forum | Send to a friend.

---

Related Boxing Articles...

• Champion Klitschko in September Return.

  Vitali Klitschko is facing a lot of pressure throughout the boxing industry to defend his championship against Hasim Rahman. A back injury forced the postponement of Klitschko's proposed defense against >
  
  

• Best in Boxing: Klitschko - Rahman Sign for HBO PPV

  November 12th will see Vitali Klitschko put his WBC Heavyweight belt at risk against former title holder Hasim Rahman at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. The two >
  
  

• Wladimir Klitschko is Back!.

  Wladimir Klitschko made a commanding statement in his latest return to the ring by stopping opponent Elicier Castillo in four rounds tonight in Germany. The Ukrainian giant and brother of >
  
  

• WBC Says No to Vitali.

  The Board of Governors of the World Boxing Council, presided by doctor Jose Sulaiman, announces from its offices in Mexico City that a final decision has been taken in regards >
  
  

• Byrd-Klitschko II?

  There are string rumors circulating that IBF heavyweight champion Chris Byrd may be about to commit to a contract that would see him fighting former WBO champion Wladimir Klitschko in >
  
  

• Boxing In Germany: Wladimir Klitschko Vs Tony Thompson In July

  The IBF has granted heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko an exception to fight Tony Thompson, 31-1 (19), the WBO mandatory challenger. The fight is expected to take place during July in >
  
  

• Wladimir Klitschko Seeking Boxing Revenge On HBO Against Lamon Brewster In Germany

  The heavyweight championship Fight of the Year is on! Wladimir Klitschko, the IBF and IBO world heavyweight titlist, will defend his belts against former world champion Lamon Brewster in “The >
  
  

• IBF Boxing Champ Wladimir Klitschko A Hit On Conan O’Brien

  © Meghan Sinclair IBF Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko gets a high five and enjoys a few laughs with Conan O'Brien, last night on his nationally televised interview on NBC's Late Night >
  
  

• Klitschko-Brewster Possible.

  Fresh from his first round stoppage win over contender Andrew Golota, WBO heavyweight champion "Relentless" Lamon Brewster may be set to challenge current WBC titleholder Vitali Klitschko. The Ukrainian giant >
  
  

• Klitschko-Peter Trainers Speak.

  "Peter's going to find out that this is not the place for him. Wladimir is not another class-C guy. He (Peter) was fighting the B-level boys, the Charles Shuffords and >
  
  

---