LOS ANGELES, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Ukrainian boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko says that retirement was the correct decision and one he does not regret.
"I did not want to hang on to the title by all means possible, and to wait to be asked to quit until the last moment," Klitschko said in a statement on his Web site. "I weighed up all the possibilities, and I am convinced that I have made the only right decision in the circumstances."
Klitschko, 34, won 35 of 37 bouts during his career. He had been scheduled to take on Hasim Rahman of the United States on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas but announced his retirement a few days before the fight.
In his statement, Klitschko said that he had concluded that with his injuries he would have lasted no more than a single round.
The World Boxing Council declared Rahman the heavyweight champion.
Klitschko said his one regret is that he and his brother, Wladimir, have been denied their dream of being world champions at the same time in their respective weight classes.
