Joshua vs Klitschko: Bernd Boente claims Wladimir Klitschko could continue boxing until he's fifty

Klitschko's long-time manager has insisted that the two-time heavyweight world champion has no plans to retire after his Wembley super-fight with Anthony Joshua

Klitschko keeping active during a training session at Hotel Stanglwirt (Getty)

Wladimir Klitschko’s manager Bernd Boente has emphatically denied his client could retire after his forthcoming world title fight with Anthony Joshua – by insisting he could fight on until the age of 50.

Klitschko will become a three-time world champion in his 69^th professional fight if he becomes the first man to beat Joshua, with the pair scheduled to meet at Wembley Stadium on April 29.

The 41-year-old is attempting to bounce back from just the fourth defeat of his 21-year career against Joshua, after he was out-pointed by Tyson Fury in November 2015, in one of the greatest boxing upsets of recent times.

Since that surprise defeat there has been repeated speculation that Klitschko will retire after his next fight, but his long-time manager Boente has denied that to be the case, instead drawing parallels between the Ukrainian and Bernard Hopkins, who boxed on until the age of 51.

“If you are 41 years old, you cannot expect that someone is fighting another 10 years, but he always said that Bernard Hopkins is one of his idols - and you know how long Bernard fought,” Boente said in an interview with Sky Sports.

Boente sees little reason for Klitschko to stop boxing (Getty)

“I don't know if Wladimir will still fight at 50, but one thing is for sure, he's not looking at this fight as his last fight.”

“For the last five or six years, Wladimir has never discussed how long he fights. It's fight by fight and then he makes a decision.

“At this moment I can tell you he's in fantastic shape and he's physically and psychologically on a top level. He's absolutely looking forward to this fight.”

Klitschko has repeatedly insisted his age is not a barrier, instead arguing that his surfeit of experience will see him regain his titles against 27-year-old Joshua.

“Some of the guys at my age maybe think about something different, but I’m still in it. I’m still on this hamster wheel, turning it, spinning it at my own pace,” Klitschko said in a recent interview.

“It’s pretty incredible to me, because I’ve been there. I’ve lost fights, I’ve got back up. I’ve won the titles back. I lost again, I got back up, I got more respect, I lost again.”