Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury Fight Preview: A Clash of Titans

Wladimir Klitschko looks to cement his legacy as one of the greatest heavyweight champions of All-Time when he battles undefeated Tyson Fury on Saturday in Germany.

The Dominant Heavyweight of His Generation

The reigning WBO, WBA, IBF and Lineal Heavyweight champion is the most dominant heavyweight of his generation. Klitschko’s current reign is the second longest in heavyweight boxing history while his total 23 title defenses ranks second overall, behind only Joe Louis’ 25 and ahead of Larry Holmes (20) and Muhammad Ali (19).He is currently tied with Louis for the most heavyweight title fights at 27 and against Fury on Saturday, he will break that record. Should he beat Fury, it will be his 19th consecutive title defense, a streak only bettered by Louis (25) and Holmes (20).

The Smaller Man

But if Klitschko has dominated the past decade with his size, he will be in an unfamiliar situation on Saturday. Tyson Fury at 6-9 is three inches taller than him and holds a 4 inch reach advantage. Not only is Fury the bigger man, he is also younger by 12 years at only 27.

Fury also is a powerful puncher, having knocked out 18 of his 24 opponents. Although he hasn’t fought the level of competition Klitschko has over the years, Fury owns solid victories over Steve Cunningham, Joey Abell and Dereck Chisora. Ranked #3 by The Ring, Fury hopes to become the first British Heavyweight Boxing Champion since David Haye was WBA champion in 2009.

Home Court Advantage

One crucial factor in the fight is the venue because while Klitschko is Ukrainian, he has made Germany his primary fighting hometown, fighting all but 15 of his 67 total fights there. Saturday’s bout will be held at the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf, where Klitschko has fought twice before and where Fury makes his first appearance on German soil. With the crowd expected to cheer its adopted son, Fury must make a definitive impact in the fight.

Who Takes This?

Given his physical advantages, Fury has every puncher’s chance of knocking out Wladimir, who has been knocked out thrice in the early stages of his career. But the thing with Fury is that he leans forward when he attacks and that could be a mistake against a machine like Dr. Steelhammer.

Fury also had problems with a technical boxer like Steve Cunningham so he should his hands full against Wladimir whose skills were honed by the late Emmanuel Steward. Klitschko isn’t at all flashy but he uses great movement and a stiff jab that sets up a very powerful right hand. He doesn’t force the KOs and has been content to win on points.

This fight though may not go the distance with Fury’s best shot at beating Klitschko is to knock him out. He has the length to fight from the outside but Wlad has the experience to box to victory.  Fury should take the fight to him without getting nailed. That is easier said than done.

Fury is a -375 underdog so if he wins, it will be a major upset. Experts are predicting a Klitschko win by KO within 6 rounds because an aggressive and bullying fighter like Fury is what the doctor ordered for Dr. Steelhammer. Unless he can land a big shot early to rattle the -500 favorite, this should be another step to greatness for Klitschko.