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Former WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko will return to the ring in April, more than two years after injuries forced his retirement.
Vasyl Samokhvalov, who described himself as an “information adviser” to Klitschko, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Klitschko would face Oleg Maskaev on April 21 in Moscow.
“Today Klitschko has been interviewed by a number of German influential newspapers including Bild and he told them that he is returning,” Samokhvalov said.
Samokhvalov said a knee injury that Klitschko sustained in December 2004 has all but gone away.
Last month, Maskaev retained his WBC heavyweight crown with a unanimous decision over Peter Okhello in the first world title fight held in Russia. Klitschko attended the fight.
Klitschko’s last fight was an eighth-round win over Danny Williams on Dec. 11, 2004. The 36-year-old boxer’s back and knee problems forced a year layoff afterward, then his retirement with a 35-2 record with 34 knockouts.
Klitschko failed in a recent bid to be elected mayor of Kiev, but remains active in Ukrainian politics and in business.
Klitschko’s younger brother, Wladimir, will defend his IBF heavyweight title against American boxer Ray Austin on March 10 in Mannheim, Germany.
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