Wladimir Klitschko had to be rescued at sea when the chartered boat he was on caught fire

Alan Dawson

June 25, 2019 2:17 PM

Wladimir Klitschko and his friends and family had to be rescued from a burning boat off the coast of Mallorca on Sunday.

Wladimir Klitschko boat fire

Klitschko was rescued by a coast guard and fire rescue team, and tweeted on Tuesday that everybody was "fine."
It is not the first time Klitschko has had trouble in the water.
Five years ago a heavyweight contender stalked Klitschko, the then heavyweight champion, when he was paddleboarding.
The stalker used a speedboat to create a wake around Klitschko, before the boxer eventually fell into the water.
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Wladimir Klitschko, one of the longest-reigning world heavyweight boxing champions of all time, had to be rescued at sea when a chartered boat he was on caught fire.

The boat Klitschko was on caught fire near Mallorca on Sunday, according to the BBC . He was rescued by the Spanish coastguard and a fire rescue team, then tweeted Tuesday that everybody was fine.

"Be careful what you wish for," Klitschko said. "Fate took my wish for 'some adrenalin' a bit too literally and our boat-trip Sunday night ended up in our boat igniting and family and friends being evacuated by coast guard and fire rescue-team.

"No worries: we are all fine!"

His weekend disaster is not the first time he's had trouble in the water.

In 2014, the veteran heavyweight contender Shannon Briggs was on a one-man crusade to stalk Klitschko until the boxer gave in and gave Briggs a shot at his heavyweight championship belts.

Briggs filmed his journey and, during one episode, he found Klitschko paddleboarding. Briggs, yelling his mantra "Let's go champ!" used the speedboat he was on to cause a wake around Klitschko.

The champion then fell in the water and Briggs fled, laughing.

Klitschko never gave Briggs the title shot.

Klitschko retired after his 69th professional fight, an 11th round loss to Anthony Joshua in 2017.

The bout brought to a close a storied career that produced 53 wins, many of which showcased a cerebral fighting style born from a textbook one-two a left-jab, overhand-right punch combination.

In retirement, Klitschko has been spending time with his partner, actress Hayden Panettiere, working on his foundation which works with children in Ukraine and Germany, and publishing the book "Challenge Management: What Managers Can Learn from a Top Athlete."

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