Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko is considering coming out of retirement to return to heavyweight boxing.

The 42-year-old was widely regarded as the best of his generation ahead of his brother Vitali and boasts an impressive record having won 64 of his 69 professional fights, including 53 knockouts.

Many believed ‘Dr. Steelhammer’s’ career was over following defeat to Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in April 2017, but that may not be the case if you were to believe recent speculation.

Rumours surrounding a Klitschko comeback took off last week when Dillian Whyte stated on talkSPORT that he would love to fight the Ukrainian, but Klitschko has since played the fight rumours off as “fake news”.

However, industry sources have claimed that the former heavyweight champion has held discussions with DAZN on a lucrative three-fight deal.

Klitschko would be interested in an initial fight against lower opposition, according to sources. Having been out for such a long time, Klitschko feels this would be appropriate and rather similar to the approach taken by Tyson Fury in his 2018 comeback.

The fight would take place in familiar territory for Klitschko in Germany, a place of much of his success.

The second fight discussed within the agreement would be a mouth-watering rematch with Fury.

The pair fought back in 2015 in which the Gypsy King stunned Klitschko in Dusseldorf in a dominant and clever display - Fury’s performance arguably the greatest ever against the Ukrainian.

A rematch against the Brit would be much anticipated after it never happened in 2016 as Fury was fighting against depression and substance abuse.

The final fight mentioned within the discussions would be a rematch of Dr. Steelhammer’s final outing - a clash with Anthony Joshua.

The undefeated Joshua was given a mighty scare by Klitschko back in 2017 as he knocked the Brit down in round six, however, Joshua recovered to knock Klitschko out in round 11 and end his career.

The streaming service DAZN would make Klitschko an ambassador as part of the deal, a title currently held by none other than Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

Another bonus to the deal for Klitschko is that DAZN have promised to make a significant contribution to UNESCO - a charity both Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko are deeply involved with, per sources.

It would still be a surprise, though, to see a then 43-year-old Klitschko step back into the ring against such big names, but you wouldn’t put it past a man who dominated the heavyweight division for over a decade to return and rustle a few feathers.

Will Klitschko stand a chance against the likes of Fury and Joshua at his age?