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Wembley Stadium refused to stage Tyson Fury’s world heavyweight championship rematch with Wladimir Klitschko because of the Gipsy King’s controversial outbursts.
Klitschko’s manager Bernd Boente disclosed Wembley’s decision and has also revealed that Fury’s insistence on staging the July 9 fight in England has cost him three-quarters of the gate money the fight would have grossed in Germany.
Boente, talking at the resort in the Austrian Tyrol where Klitschko is in training for the return bout in Manchester, also reported difficulties with finding venues in Fury’s home city for promotional events during fight week.
He says: ‘I received a phone call from a member of the Wembley board who wanted to explain to us why they would not take the fight. It was because of the things Tyson has said about women, gays and ***ish people.
'They apologised to us and made it clear that if we have another big Klitschko fight with a different British opponent they would be very happy to put it on in the stadium.’
The rematch clause in the contract for the November fight in Dusseldorf’s football stadium in which Fury shocked the boxing world by dethroning Klitschko the 10-year world champion specified that the second fight should take place ‘where it makes the most sense financially.’
But Boente says: ‘The Furys were adamant from the start that they wanted the rematch in England. We had the chance to put on the first big fight in the Allianz stadium in Munich and that would have made four times as much as the crowd will generate in Manchester. But they insisted on the fight going to England. Apparently money was not what mattered to them.’
Immediately after his triumph Fury said he had enjoyed the experience and the welcome he received in Dusseldorf and would be happy to return to Germany. Later he began to doubt whether he would be given a second points decision there against Klitschko.
Boente said: ‘That and Tyson’s reputation has made things a little difficult. Even in Manchester they are having problems finding suitable public venues for our open workouts and the weigh-in.’
Even so, the Manchester Arena has already sold 12,000 of the 20,000 tickets available for the fight.
Fury has apologised for his more extreme outbursts but it will take time for him to fully redeem himself in the court of public opinion.
Klitschko’s manager Bernd Boente disclosed Wembley’s decision and has also revealed that Fury’s insistence on staging the July 9 fight in England has cost him three-quarters of the gate money the fight would have grossed in Germany.
Boente, talking at the resort in the Austrian Tyrol where Klitschko is in training for the return bout in Manchester, also reported difficulties with finding venues in Fury’s home city for promotional events during fight week.
He says: ‘I received a phone call from a member of the Wembley board who wanted to explain to us why they would not take the fight. It was because of the things Tyson has said about women, gays and ***ish people.
'They apologised to us and made it clear that if we have another big Klitschko fight with a different British opponent they would be very happy to put it on in the stadium.’
The rematch clause in the contract for the November fight in Dusseldorf’s football stadium in which Fury shocked the boxing world by dethroning Klitschko the 10-year world champion specified that the second fight should take place ‘where it makes the most sense financially.’
But Boente says: ‘The Furys were adamant from the start that they wanted the rematch in England. We had the chance to put on the first big fight in the Allianz stadium in Munich and that would have made four times as much as the crowd will generate in Manchester. But they insisted on the fight going to England. Apparently money was not what mattered to them.’
Immediately after his triumph Fury said he had enjoyed the experience and the welcome he received in Dusseldorf and would be happy to return to Germany. Later he began to doubt whether he would be given a second points decision there against Klitschko.
Boente said: ‘That and Tyson’s reputation has made things a little difficult. Even in Manchester they are having problems finding suitable public venues for our open workouts and the weigh-in.’
Even so, the Manchester Arena has already sold 12,000 of the 20,000 tickets available for the fight.
Fury has apologised for his more extreme outbursts but it will take time for him to fully redeem himself in the court of public opinion.
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