Klitschko quit boxing in 2017 after Anthony Joshua stopped him. Before that, he'd been a force in the heavyweight division for years. From 2008 to 2015, he was the unified champion, defending his titles 23 times across two reigns. His run ended when Tyson Fury beat him in a surprise win in 2015.
Now, at 48, Klitschko's name is being linked with some big fights. There was talk about him facing Daniel Dubois, the IBF World Champion who recently stopped Joshua in five rounds. Frank Warren, Dubois' promoter, told the Daily Mail about their chat:
"It was a very brief conversation to be honest. I've got a lot of respect [for Wladimir] … We had quite a lengthy chat in Riyadh at the last show. He looks after himself. Obviously he's an older guy, I don't like the idea of older guys fighting, but he's in tremendous condition … Anything can happen with these guys."
That fight won't happen, though. Dubois will face Joseph Parker on February 22 next year instead.
There's also talk about Klitschko fighting Tyson Fury if Fury beats Oleksandr Usyk. Turki Alalshikh, a boxing power broker, said:
"I am dreaming of seeing this fight to give chance if he accepts to give Klitschko to give back to be the oldest heavyweight champion ever. To give him the chance. This is perfect. Of course, he won't fight Usyk if he wins because they're two heroes from Ukraine will not fight each other. This is the dream."
Deontay Wilder's name is in the mix too. Wilder's trainer, Malik Scott, told Jeff Bet:
"Wladimir Klitschko is a legend. There's so much that comes with that brand of Wladimir Klitschko. So, that's worth the while right there. I'm sure that would be a name to consider if that rumour he wants to return is true, that would be a name to put some attention on. If something like that were to happen, Deontay Wilder and Wladimir, it'd be one of the biggest heavyweight fights of all time."
But there's a big question mark over all of this. With the conflict between Ukraine and Russia still going on, it's not clear if Klitschko will want to leave Ukraine to fight. We'll have to wait and see what happens next.