Tyson Fury Threatens to Walk Away from Wladimir Klitschko Fight Negotiations

World heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury has encouraged Wladimir Klitschko to speed things along in setting a date for their anticipated rematch, or he’ll walk away from negotiations. 

Fury, who holds the WBO, IBO and WBA belts after beating the Ukrainian icon last year, is obliged to make his first defence of the titles against the 40-year-old because of a rematch clause. But the new champion has accused the veteran of dragging his feet over talks, per Chris McKenna of the Daily Star:

"

I can't go into camp right now because I'm injured. I've just got to wait for this injury to clear up and then I can start training again. I've got a back injury. An old injury flared up when I went over to help Hughie out for his fight on Saturday. I've been hurt quite badly.

That's not the reason for the delay over the rematch, that's because they are messing around. It's not a reason that my back is hurt, they're just messing about. They're not coming up with a date and whatever, we can't agree. So if we can't agree terms, I'll move on to somebody else.

"

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According to McKenna a bout between the two heavyweight stars was set to be staged on May 7. Delays meant it was then pencilled in for June 4, although now it could reportedly be July 7 at the earliest.

Fury also revealed that if the Klitschko camp are hoping he’ll get complacent ahead of a rematch, they’re mistaken.

“I think they think I will put on 10 stone and just let me self-detonate, but that's not gong to happen,” he said, per McKenna. “When I get the date, I'll go straight back in the gym and start working it off. I'm not really concerned about it. If it happens, it happens and if it doesn't, it doesn’t.”

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Earlier this month, a member of Klitschko’s management group, Nicola Pattberg, told James Dielhenn of Sky Sports that “we are still in negotiations and haven't confirmed any date or location.”

According to McKenna, the Ukrainian is considering venues for the fight, which is still anticipated to be staged in Germany rather than the United Kingdom.

Fury has stirred the pot this month with some social media posts that seem to goad Klitschko, including this snap of the legendary heavyweight after their previous bout:

The Brit was a surprise victor when the two men met in November in Dusseldorf, Germany. In a fight that saw few clean punches landed, Fury frustrated his experienced opponent with clever movement and fast hands, with Klitschko reluctant to throw shots as a result; it was the first time the former champion had lost in 10 years.

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As Fury noted in the interview, there’s no pressure on him to get this fight sorted, with plenty of opportunities likely to surface elsewhere given his new-found pedigree. “He's getting older by the day, I think he's 40 already, so it doesn't really matter to me all this,” said the champion.

Should this one get made, that narrative will make for a much more entertaining bout. Klitschko seemed to be holding something back in the first fight, but he’ll be aware that another defeat to Fury could call time on his boxing career. The longer these negotiations drag out, the more pressure it’ll heap on him when these two do square off for a second time.