By Jake Donovan
Following a bizarre press conference that saw his challenger arrive as Batman and even take down The Joker, World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko jokingly asked afterward if the Bat-signal would be required to summon Tyson Fury ahead of their October 24 title clash in Dusseldorf, Germany.
It seems as if Klitschko could have used all of the help that he can get, as he has been forced to postpone the upcoming title defense by at least one month. The long-reigning champ managed to suffer a leg injury just one day later, his first day of camp in Austria after having trained in the United States.
“The clinical and MRI-examination showed a partial musculotendinous tear of the left calf,” said Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt, in diagnosing Klitschko’s injury. “The boxing fight planned for October 24(World Championship in the heavyweight division) should be postponed for an indefinite period of time. Due to this injury we strictly recommend ceasing athletic activity in the next weeks.”
A new date has yet to be announced, although Bernd Boente—Klitschko's manager—confirmed that the intention is to keep the fight at the 55,000-seat ESPRIT Arena in Dusseldorf, where a sold-out crowd was expected.
“Unfortunately, these situations are always possible in individual sports,” Bernd Bönte, CEO of Klitschko Management Group said in a statement released through the KMG press office. “We all know about the importance of this event for everyone involved, as well as for all boxing fans. Therefore, we are trying everything possible to postpone this fight to a nearby date at the ESPRIT arena in Düsseldorf.”
In keeping the venue, the trick now is to find a date that also works with the number of networks involved.
Klitschko recently resigned a five-fight pact with Germany RTL, with whom he has enjoyed a long-standing relationship.
Sky Sports had picked up the UK rights to air the fight on its PPV arm which was to air in a split-site telecast that also includes Kell Brook's welterweight title defense versus Diego Chaves at home in Sheffield, England.
American cable giant HBO planned to package the heavyweight championship with Terence Crawford's latest homecoming when he defends his 140 lb. belt versus Dierry Jean in Omaha, Nebraska.
Plans remain intact for Brook-Chaves and Crawford-Jean, although the loss of a heavyweight championship attached could cause a mad dash to scramble for strong supporting bouts. The October 24 show in Sheffield has taken such measures, as secondary middleweight titlist
Chris Eubank has been added to the bill
as per terms of his having signed with Matchroom Boxing on Friday.
Once healed, Klitschko (64-3, 53KOs) will attempt the 19th consecutive defense of at least one alphabet title he's held since April '06. His most recent win came in April, outpointing unbeaten Bryant Jennings over 12 rounds at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
As for Fury (24-0, 18KOs), it will be his first shot at a world title, but most certainly not the first time he's seen a major event postponed. The unbeaten yet hard-luck giant from England was strung along by an oft-injured David Haye for the better part of a year, only for the clash of British heavyweights to never occur.
His rematch with Dereck Chisora did happen, but came four months after its original target date after Chisora suffered a fractured hand just days before their scheduled clash last January. The two eventually met last November, with Fury scoring a 10th round knockout in perhaps his finest career performance to date.
The win also established the 6'9" contender as mandatory challenger to Klitschko. Efforts to bide his time awaiting his title shot resulted in a stay-busy fight in February, stopping Christian Hammer in eight rounds. From there he waited out Klitschko-Jennings before entering negotiations for his first title fight.
The bout was destined for a purse bid hearing before literally canceled at the last minute. The promoters who flew in from around the world to Panama City, Panama will argue that it was actually called off after the imposed deadline, as word of the two camps reaching a deal came just as purse bids were being collected.
Fury has done his best to enjoy the press tour without taking it to another level, as only he can. His antics on Wednesday in London were all in good fun—and most certainly a first—as he arrived to the press session in a Lambourghini dressed as Batman, complete with the original theme music accompanying his arrival to the media session.
Given the most recent events, few would blame Fury if he were to go bat-s*** crazy at this point while awaiting word of a new fight date.
For whatever it's worth, Klitschko was the least thrilled about being the one to spoil the party.
“Especially after the exciting press conference last Wednesday, I was looking forward to this fight very much,” noted Klitschko. “I know that a lot of fans have already organized their trips to support me in Düsseldorf. I am so sorry that I am not able to fight on October 24. I also apologize to my opponent, who has spent many weeks preparing for this fight. I will do my very best to recover as fast as possible.”
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene