Wladimir Klitschko has faced some tough boxers, but none have had heavier hands than Corrie Sanders.

Klitschko, who is now retired, is regarded as one of the best heavyweights of all time, having reigned unbeaten for ten years in his second tenure as world champion.

But in 2003, when he had the WBO heavyweight world title, he faced South Africa’s Corrie Sanders, also known as ‘The Sniper’.

Sanders knocked Klitschko down twice in round one, and after knocking him down twice more within the first thirty seconds of round two, the referee halted the fight.

Klitschko later admitted that Sanders struck him harder than any other opponent he faced in his 21-year professional career.

“He was very fast and had really powerful hands,” Klitschko told The Ring.

“I’ve been in boxing for 25 years and I never fought anybody in this game that punched like Corrie Sanders.”

This is despite the fact that Klitschko has sparred with some of the all-time greats, notably David Haye, whom the Ukrainian defeated by unanimous decision in 2011.

‘Hayemaker’ was unable to consistently bridge the distance on Klitschko, the heavyweight champion at the time, and was largely outclassed by the Ukrainian, who controlled the fight.

Haye won the third round and pressed for a stoppage by staggering his opponent with a massive overhand right in the championship round, but Klitschko demonstrated his usual tenacity.

Haye rocked Klitschko but failed to get the win.

Towards the closing stages of his career, Klitschko then came up against Tyson Fury and lost by unanimous decision in 2015, during what was considered a huge upset at the time.

Fury produced a scintillating boxing masterclass on German soil, completely dominating the Ukrainian in stunning fashion to steal the unified heavyweight world titles.

The pair looked set to meet in a rematch, but Fury’s battle with mental health issues saw him unable to entertain the immediate sequel.

And ‘Dr Steelhammer’ ate some thunderous punches from Anthony Joshua when they clashed in 2017 and Klitschko was knocked out in the eleventh round of a thrilling contest.

The heavyweight icon dropped Joshua to the canvas twice and looked to be closing in on a historic win at Wembley Stadium.

But AJ climbed to his feet and delivered a thunderous uppercut which changed the course of the contest, and rally to a historic stoppage in front of a raucous British crowd.

And Klitschko has been in with some of the biggest punchers in heavyweight history.

The legend instantly hung up his boxing gloves and retired, having won 64 of his 69 professional contests.

Klitschko was compelled to stay away from the sport after quitting to focus on his country’s issue with Russia.

The champion fought with his brother and fellow icon Vitali Klitschko on the front lines in Eastern Europe.

He also helped current undisputed heavyweight champion and local compatriot Oleksandr Usyk advance in his career.

Klitschko attended Usyk’s victory to make history and win all four belts in Saudi Arabia, defeating the legend’s former adversary Fury.

Klitschko has supported Usyk during his meteoric rise.

He praised the two-division undisputed king after the fight and even spoke with the champion in the ring after his incredible feat.

In his post-fight interview, the 48-year-old stated, “This historic win is not only meaningful for Oleksandr Usyk.

“Can you fathom how much strain this man has been under in the last few weeks and in this ring? Certainly, losing was not an option.

“He showed once that he was great as a cruiserweight, but even more surprisingly for a lot of people at heavyweight.

“And it doesn’t matter how big, how tall, how heavy, what his reach is and how mobile Tyson Fury was, Oleksandr Usyk showed he is the best fighter in modern history.”