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The highly anticipated heavyweight rematch between Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury will be on July 9th at Manchester, England according to the promoters of the bout on Wednesday.
Heavyweight Rematch
Fury accomplished the one of the greatest upsets in heavyweight boxing history last November 28th when he ended Klitschko’s 9 ½ year reign as boxing’s heavyweight champion with a unanimous decision win in the bout held at Klitschko’s adopted home country of Germany. Prior to the defeat, Klitschko had one of the longest and most dominant reigns of All-time, winning an incredible 18 consecutive title defenses. He was heavily favored to beat Fury even at an advanced age, but Fury had other plans.
Immediately after the loss, Klitschko exercised the rematch clause on the bout’s contract, forcing Fury to vacate the IBF version of the title because the organization mandated him to face #1 challenger Vyacheslav Glazkov. The camps of Fury and Klitschko have since been negotiating a date and place for the rematch and after a couple of humps and bumps, the bout has finally been set in stone.
If Fury traveled all the way to Germany to challenge Klitschko, it’s Wlad’s turn to travel to the champion’s home country. Fury’s camp initially wanted the rematch to be at Britain’s famed Wembley Stadium but eventually settled for Manchester rather than going all the way back to Dusseldorf, Germany where Fury believes he won’t win a decision if he ever goes back there again.
Better Match
Fury doesn’t expect the rematch to be as “dull” as their first bout. He expects Klitschko to come at him and fight, knowing this could be Wlad’s last run at a world title. Klitschko is now 40 years of age and may no longer be the dominant force he once was. Fury knows he’s got Wlad’s number and that he will beat him once again.
Stakes are also high for Tyson Fury as a win could set up a possible All-Britain heavyweight title bout with newly crowned IBF King Anthony Joshua. Joshua knocked out Charles Martin in two rounds last week to become the ninth Briton to win boxing’s most prestigious weight class. Fury immediately called out Joshua after the latter’s win over Martin. Joshua likewise expressed interest in fighting Klitschko and unifying the belts.
However, Fury cannot look past Klitschko even if the latter may be past his prime. Klitschko has the skillset to defeat Fury although he needs to let his hands go the next time around. Problem is does he still have the physical capabilities to do so at age 40. While some say it was just a bad night when Wlad lost, others are saying Wlad has suddenly grown old overnight.
