Retired Vitali, now Mayor of Kiev in their native Ukraine, believes Wladimir losing to Tyson Fury in November 2015 was merely a blip and his young sibling will get back on track with a knockout against Anthony Joshua this weekend.
“Sometimes he loses concentration and that was the one reason he lost to Fury. If he focusses 100 per cent he will definitely beat Joshua,” Vitali told The Daily Mail.
“It is a great contest between two Olympic gold medallists, two world heavyweight champions of the same size and condition.
“It is older generation versus younger generation but I have learned that in boxing, as in politics and life, if the conditions are equal then experience is the key.
“We are both fighting for our country. Everyone in Kiev is excited and expecting a good result. We need all the positive messages we can get and I expect the KO by Wladimir.
“What we both know for sure is that if you don’t fight, you can’t win.”
Klitschko has been forced to wait seventeen months for his opportunity to regain the world titles Fury ripped away, and at 41 years of age has his best days firmly behind him.
Joshua at 27 is a lot younger and fresher than ‘Dr. Steelhammer’ having steamrolled through the division since turning pro, although lacks the big fight experience of Klitschko which could have an influence on fight night.
Joshua v Klitschko is live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK. Showtime in the US and RTL in Germany
