Boxer follows in Alou's Steps

[Dr. Sak]

Not sure if you guys remember the story about Moise Alou peeing on his hands to toughen them up. But Heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko took it a step further

ESPN - Champion Klitschko uses infant son's wet diapers to reduce hand swelling - Boxing

BERLIN -- Vitali Klitschko used his son's wet, used diapers to keep his fists from swelling up after winning his WBC heavyweight title bout against Nigeria's Samuel Peter, the Ukrainian told a German newspaper on Tuesday.

Klitschko said he wrapped them around his hands and they helped him recover.

"Baby wee is good because it's pure, doesn't contain toxins and doesn't smell," the 37-year old boxer told Bild after he won back the WBC title with a technical knockout on Saturday.

"I wrap nappies filled with my 3-year-old son Max's wee around my fists," Klitschko said, adding that he got the idea from his grandmother. "The nappies hold the liquid and the swelling stays down."

Klitschko said Peter should try the nappy trick as well.

Peter chose not to come back out after eight rounds that saw him weaving and occasionally wobbling as Klitschko landed a persistent stream of heavy left jabs to Peter's head in front of more than 12,000 people at the new O2 World Arena.

The 37-year-old Ukranian fighter (36-2, 35 KOs) used his height -- he's 6-foot-7 -- and reach to keep Peter crouched and defensive.

Klitschko has been WBC "champion emeritus" since a knee injury forced him to withdraw from a fight and retire from boxing in 2005.

The honorary status gave him the right to fight Peter (30-2), who won the interim belt in a fight against Jameel McCline last September, whenever Klitschko chose to come out of retirement.

"I knew if I lost the fight I wouldn't get a second chance," Klitschko told reporters after the fight. "It was a one-way ticket, and I used my chance."

Promoter Don King said after the fight that a logical next step for Klitschko might be to seek a rematch with the retired Lennox Lewis, whom Klitschko lost to in 2003 when a fight doctor called the bout because Klitschko had a badly cut eye.

"What a triumph that would be for us old guys," King said.

Klitschko was more reticent.

"I need to think about it," he said of plans for his newly revived fighting career. "I need to take care of my hand, because it is swollen."

That would be where Max's wet diapers come in handy.

If you were going to do that, do it before the fight so the "wee" smell gets on your opponent's face.