Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Ukrainian boxers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko began their boxing careers in Kyiv. Their first mentors were Mykhailo Matsykh and Volodymyr Zolotaryov.
They laid the foundation for the brothers’ sports careers, who later became some of the most famous boxers in the world. More about them will be told by 24 Channel.
Mykhailo Matsykh
Matsykh was one of the first coaches of Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. The brothers joined a boxing club in Kyiv as teenagers, and Matsykh was among the first to see their potential.
Over decades of coaching, he trained many decorated boxers, and his name remained forever in the history of Ukrainian boxing thanks to his work with the Klitschko brothers.
Later Matsykh handed the brothers over to Volodymyr Zolotaryov, who continued their preparation and became one of the key mentors on their path to major sporting achievements.
Matsykh received the title of Honored Coach of Ukraine in 1993 and was also awarded the title of Honored Worker of Physical Culture and Sports of Ukraine.
On 12 May 2026 it became known that Matsykh died at the age of 92.
Mykhailo Matsykh / Photo from open sources
Volodymyr Zolotaryov
Zolotaryov played a special role in Volodymyr Klitschko’s development as a boxer. He met Vitali Klitschko in 1989. The future champion’s father asked Zolotaryov to become his older son’s coach.
Later Vitali helped his younger brother start boxing. At the age of 14, Volodymyr came to Zolotaryov, who then became his mentor.
Zolotaryov coached Volodymyr Klitschko for more than seven years. It was under his guidance that the boxer won the Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
The Klitschko brothers with Zolotaryov / Photo from open sources
As a coach he was recognized in 1991. Later he also worked with the national teams of Ukraine and Azerbaijan.
It was Matsykh and Zolotaryov who were the coaches at the start of the Klitschko brothers’ boxing path and who made a significant contribution to the development of the future champions.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Це мало хто знає: хто був першим тренером братів Кличків". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
