by David P. Greisman
It’s not often that the 6-foot-6 Wladimir Klitschko faces someone his size or bigger. But when the heavyweight champion steps into the ring against Tyson Fury on Oct. 24 in Dusseldorf, Germany, he will be facing someone he describes as younger, taller, heavier and with a longer reach.
Fury, who is 6-foot-9, reminds Klitschko of someone else he faced in the past, Mariusz Wach. Klitschko defeated Wach by a wide decision in late 2012.
“Obviously I always act with the guys that are the same size or taller than me more aggressively than the guys shorter than me,” Klitschko said on a Sept. 15 media conference call. “With the strategy and how that’s going to work, I think that we need to all wait until Oct. 24 to see how that’s going to go. Of course, I have my game plan, which I’m also ready to change if needed during the fight.”
Klitschko doesn’t often go the body, usually working behind his stiff jab and pairing that with powerful right crosses or left hooks, or feinting off the jab to catch his opponent off-guard with the hook. Against Fury, though, there may be an opportunity to dig downstairs.
“You have a man that is taller than me, so obviously the body is right there,” Klitschko said. “But the way that Tyson Fury is built is kind of interesting. He’s built like a spider, big belly but long legs and long arms. I hope I’m going to have enough space and enough opportunity with the body shots as well.”
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