Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury: Preview and Prediction for Title Fight
This Saturday in Germany, Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko defends the WBA, WBO, IBF and lineal heavyweight titles against undefeated Tyson Fury of England. Klitschko has dominated the heavyweight division for most of this century, but the Fury is a true giant of a man and 12 years younger than the champion.
Fury is ranked as the No. 3 contender by The Ring, behind only Alexander Povetkin and Deontay Wilder, and Boxrec has him behind only Povetkin. No heavyweight on the planet is more deserving of a shot at Klitschko.
This fight will be broadcast live in the U.S. during the afternoon on HBO.
Tale of the Tape
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| Per Boxrec | Wladimir Klitschko | Tyson Fury |
| Record: | 64-3, 53 KOs | 24-0, 18 KOs |
| Height: | 6'6" | 6'9" |
| Reach: | 81" | 85" |
| Weight: | About 245 lbs | About 255-260 lbs |
| Age: | 39 | 27 |
| Stance: | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Hometown: | Kiev, Ukraine | Manchester, England |
| Rounds: | 346 | 134 |
These are two mammoth heavyweights, and in Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko will be facing a larger man for one of the only times in his career.
Klitschko has far more experience than Fury, but the challenger has fought some good fighters. Although he is a Ukrainian, Germany has been a second home to the champion, and he will have the crowd on his side during this fight.
Main Storylines
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The Klitschko brothers, Vitali and Wladimir, have never received the popularity or credit they deserve in the United States, and they probably never will. But it's an undeniable fact that they have dominated their own era as thoroughly as any of the other great heavyweight champions.
Younger brother Wladimir first claimed a share of the heavyweight crown in October 2000 when he beat Chris Byrd by unanimous decision. But the champ's early career was marred by stunning KO losses. He was knocked out by journeyman Ross Purity in 1998 and stopped by Corrie Sanders in 2003 and Lamont Brewster in 2004.
However, since the loss to Brewster, Klitschko has been utterly dominant for more than a decade. Under the guidance of the late, legendary Emanuel Steward, Klitschko developed into a near-perfect heavyweight fighter. He uses outstanding lateral movement, a thudding jab and a crushing straight right hand.
As he approaches 40, Klitschko shows little sign of slowing down. Few champions in boxing have fought such a steady string of top contenders in recent years. Five of the last six men he's beaten were undefeated.
Tyson Fury is an undefeated contender who has earned his shot at the belt. He's a belligerent giant with some boxing skill, which makes him dangerous to any man he climbs into the ring with.
To my eyes, Fury has looked to be improving in recent fights. Last November, he stopped Dereck Chisora in a rematch of his 2011 decision victory over Chisora. In February of this year, he beat the rugged Christian Hammer by TKO.
It will be a major upset if Fury takes the title in this fight. OddsShark has him as a plus-375 underdog. But his size, youth and undefeated record at least make this one interesting.
Strengths
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Wladimir Klitschko is an outstanding technical fighter. He has great lateral movement and one of the best jabs in heavyweight history. It is a thudding, battering ram of a punch.
Klitschko uses the jab to set up a scythe-like lead hook. Klitschko's straight right is a brutal punch. It's what earned him his nickname of "Dr. Steelhammer."
Tyson Fury is a massive human being and he knows how to use that size to bully opponents. He's reasonably durable and usually well-conditioned.
He has decent technical skill, especially on offense. His power is dangerous, and he's good at using his size to get into position to deliver big punches.
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Weaknesses
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Wladimir Klitschko has been a completely dominant fighter for more than 10 years, showing nothing in the way of weakness. But it's impossible to completely dismiss the memory of him getting stopped three times early in his career and wonder if he isn't still a bit chinny, if an opponent can only manage to connect with him.
I'm also inclined to view Klitschko's age as a weakness, especially given his recent injury. Even in elite athletes, the body begins to break down as it approaches 40, and this can be especially true in big men like Klitschko.
Tyson Fury gains some advantages from his great size, but he also has the classic tall man's habit of leaning forward to engage. It puts him in bad position to get clocked by a big puncher like Klitschko.
Fury has had difficulty with very technical fighters who can jab and move well laterally. Former cruiserweight Steve Cunningham put him flat on his back in April 2013. If Klitschko lands the same sort of shot, he'll put Fury to sleep.
Wladimir Klitschko Will Win If...
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Wladimir Klitschko has already done a large part of what he needs to do to win this fight, simply by refusing to engage in Tyson Fury's pre-fight trash talk. Fury feeds off the dynamic, but Klitschko has given him nothing.
On a media call I participated in a few months ago, Klitschko was positively laconic and droll when asked about Fury's insults in the media. He quietly suggested that Fury has some mental issues and offered, with a straight face, to "help him become a better person."
Klitschko always strives to treat his fights as nothing more than business as usual. If this fight is indeed business as usual, it should go well for Klitschko.
The champion needs to establish his stiff jab and use it to freeze Fury's aggression and dictate the pace of the fight. He needs to use lateral movement to keep Fury off balance and create angles to unload with is heavy artillery.
Klitschko has often done some of his most devastating work against opponents who were equal, or near equal, to him in stature. He's unable to use his lean-and-clinch strategy against those kind of opponents and instead has to open up and get more offensive.
If Klitschko can get off first with his jab, it will allow him to get into position to land his straight right. That could lead to a very short night for Fury.
Tyson Fury Will Win If...
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If Tyson Fury can get into position to land a big punch on Wladimir Klitschko, he can knock the Ukrainian out and take the world title back to England. Of course, that's a very big "if."
On the outside, Fury needs to fight tall and avoid giving up his height. If he starts to find himself leaning forward against Klitschko, he's going to find himself eating a straight right hand. After that, he will likely find himself waking up on the canvas, wondering what exactly just happened to him.
So, on the outside, Fury has to keep a tight guard and look to get off first with the jab.
But ultimately, Fury doesn't want this fight to happen at long range, even if he is the longer fighter. That plays right into Klitschko's strength. Fury wants to turn this into an ugly, brawling fight. He wants to look to bang away at Klitschko at the middle distance and then try to maul him in the clinch.
Fury wants to make this an uncomfortable, physically draining fight for the much older champion. He wants to turn it into a street fight and try to disrupt Klitschko's normally placid state of mind. He should frankly skirt the rule book, in hopes of making Klitschko angry.
If Fury can wreck Klitschko's composure and tax his physical reserves, he might have a chance to pull off the upset.
Prediction
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I can't call this fight a sure thing. Wladimir Klitschko has been knocked silly three times in his career. It hasn't happened in more than 10 years, but it's not something that's easy to forget about, either.
Fury has enough power to knock Klitschko out, if he can land the right shot.
Klitschko is also an old man, by boxing standards. This fight was already delayed, due to a training injury. When a man who is nearly 40 is banging his body around with a young giant like Fury, there's a real risk of injury.
But realistically, the most likely outcome here is that Klitschko knocks Fury out within the first six rounds. He's just too much better technically. And an aggressive, bullying big man like Fury will almost certainly force Klitschko to open up with his offense.
At 39, the champion might not have too many fights left. Ideally, he will fight WBC belt holder Deontay Wilder next year. If he gets by Fury, Wilder will be the only heavyweight left in the top five who Klitschko has not beaten.
Beyond that, claiming the last remaining heavyweight belt is the only thing left for the Ukrainian legend.
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