Wladimir Klitschko has reached rare territory among heavyweight champions . Now , in his ninth year as champion , Klitschko is catching Joe Louis and Larry Holmes in successful defences . When Klitschko faces Bryant Jennings on April 25 at New York 's Madison Square Garden , he will risk his heavyweight belt for the 18th time . A win over Jennings will place Klitschko within one successful defense of Holmes but he would still need six additional wins to match Louis ' record of 25 . Wladimir Klitschko works out in the ring in front of the media ahead of his fight against Bryant Jennings . Klitschko lands a right hand during a sparring session in front of the watching media in Florida . 'With all respect to Louis and Larry Holmes , they 're icons for me , I do n't want to be compared with them because they are fighters I always have looked up to , ' Klitschko said . 'As an outsider ( media ) can observe the fights and title defenses , you keep track . I 'm an insider . ' Nonetheless , Klitschko has made deep inroads during his second heavyweight stint that began with a seventh-round technical knockout win over Chris Byrd for a sanctioning body title in April 2006 . Rocky Marciano , Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson never enjoyed a title run as long as the native of Ukraine and part-time Hollywood , Florida resident . 'My mind is in a tunnel ; I 'm getting ready for the next bout , ' Klitschko said . 'And I 'm excited about the challenge . I do not compare myself with the records of those guys - Joe Louis and Larry Holmes . I just enjoy my game . ' Klitschko built the impressive streak of title defences at a time when American heavyweights have faded from contention . Until Deontay Wilder 's victory over Bermane Stiverne on January 17 , no American held a piece of the heavyweight title since 2006 . Klitschko is closing in on the record number of defences of the heavyweight title set by Joe Louis . Victory for the Ukrainian will take him to within one win of Larry Holmes ' 19 defences . Wilder looks for a lengthy reign while Jennings , of Philadelphia , seeks to tilt the division 's power more toward to its once-dominant base . 'Every opponent is different and we will see how Bryant Jennings can hold the pressure , ' Klitschko said . 'As my former coach , Emmanuel Steward said , ` on fight night , when you step into the ring , welcome to big time boxing . ' 'How is Bryant Jennings going to hold to big-time boxing and get along with that ? We 'll see . ' Jennings earned the opportunity to face Klitschko after his split-decision victory over fellow contender Mike Perez last July . 'Bryant Jennings is going to bring a lot of excitement and a lot of energy into the ring , ' Klitschko said . 'This fight is going to be nothing but exciting . ' Jennings defends his unbeaten record when he takes on Klitschko later this month in New York . Klitschko is keen to face Deontay Wilder ( left ) in a unification clash later in his career . Klitschko believes boxing is enjoying a revival . Attention toward the sport has increased with the build-up to the mega-fight between welterweight champions Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao on May 2 in Las Vegas . And Klitschko also predicts a future unification bout between him and Wilder would be appealing to fight fans that distanced themselves from the heavyweight division after Tyson 's retirement . 'The demand is shifting back and forth and during the time when boxing was less popular in the heavyweight division , because of the lack of good ( American ) prospects , it shifted to Europe , ' said Klitschko , who will make his first US appearance in seven years . 'You can not say boxing was dead or unpopular . The attention shifted to different continents . And now the demand for boxing is big and I 'm really excited to be back in the States . ' I believe Deontay is an extremely talented athlete . We 've sparred enough that we know each other well . I believe a unification fight is something the public wants . '
Larry Holmes ' takes on Bryant Jennings in New York on April 23 . Victory will take him to within one of Wladimir Klitschko record of 19 defences . Klitschko would need another six wins after that to match Joe Louis . The Ukrainian hopes to face Deontay Wilder in a unification clash . CLICK HERE for all the latest news from the world of boxing .