Klitschko-Castillo April 23 in Dortmund

PRESS RELEASE: Making his first start in six-and-a-half months, Wladimir Klitschko will take on undefeated Eliseo Castillo in an important heavyweight bout Saturday, April 23, in Dortmund, Germany. The match will be shown on HBO After Dark at 9:45 ET/PT. "I am fighting a very dangerous opponent, but it is important for me to fight the best heavyweights that I can,?? said Klitschko, a former World Boxing Organization  heavyweight champion who won a fifth-round technical decision over DaVarryl Williamson in his last start on Oct. 4, 2002, in Las Vegas. The only way for me to re-establish myself in the division is to fight the toughest fighters. This is going to be a great fight, but I am already in excellent shape and am confident that I will win.

"My goal is to regain the heavyweight championship, but it is also important for me to win back the fans and the media. An excellent start would be to show them a great performance against a quality opponent on April 23 on HBO.??

The younger brother of World Boxing Council heavyweight champion, Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir (43-3, 39 KOs) won the WBO crown with a decisive 12-round decision over Chris Byrd on Oct. 14, 2000. He made five successful defenses before losing on a shocking second-round TKO to underdog Corrie Sanders on March 2, 2003.

Castillo (18-0-1, 14 KOs), of Miami, by way of Havana, Cuba, registered the biggest triumph of his career in his last outing when he scored a convincing 10-round unanimous decision over former two-time world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer on July 3, 2004. Utilizing fast hands and good movement to outspeed Moorer, the well-conditioned Castillo dictated the pace, landed the sharper punches throughout and won by the scores of 99-91 and 97-93 twice.

Castillo escaped from his home country to the military base at Guantanamo at age 17.  Following approximately 90 amateur bouts, he turned pro on Feb. 24, 1996. After opening with 11 consecutive victories, Castillo fought a 10-round draw with Terry Pitts on Nov. 13, 1998.  Since the draw, Castillo has won seven consecutive contests.  He has tallied five first-round, three second-round and three third-round knockouts in his career.