Tyson Fury Says He's Ready to Cancel Wladimir Klitschko Fight over Glove Row

Tyson Fury’s fight with world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko could be called off because of a disagreement over boxing gloves, according to the challenger.

As reported by Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail, the Ukrainian has sought a stipulation ahead of the fight that will allow him to choose the gloves that both he and Fury will wear. Needless to say, it’s not a clause that Fury, who is set to go toe-to-toe with the legendary heavyweight in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Saturday, is at ease with.

“If they don't produce the gloves I have picked the fight is off,” the 27-year-old insisted, per Powell. “Simple as that. Unless, of course, he wants to fight bare-knuckle, gypsy style.”

Fury continued to explain why he is concerned about the equipment that has been preapproved by the Klitschko camp, insisting a pair of gloves that had been sent to him could have caused a serious injury, per Powell:

"

The first pair they sent me had huge thumbs which were terrible for my style of punching. From my height (6ft 9in) I hit down at my opponent's head and as soon as I tried them I almost dislocated my thumb. In the fight I would have broken my thumbs.

We complained so they sent a sample of a different design. They were fine and I agreed to use them. That was two weeks ago but now they are saying the manufacturers may not be able to make a proper pair in time. We're still waiting. If they are not here in time – no fight.

"

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Powell noted the Reyes gloves that Fury prefers to wear can be ordered online and would ship within two weeks, meaning there should be “plenty of time” to get a tailored set ready for the challenger on fight night. Fury accused the Klitschko camp of “playing their usual games” in a bid to unsettle him before the showdown.

It’d be a shame if the bout is pushed back for a second time. The fight was initially scheduled for Oct. 24, but the champion pulled out; it was swiftly rearranged for Nov. 28, with Fury again accusing his opponent of seeking to play “mind games,” per Sky Sports.

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

Throughout the buildup to the bout, Fury has been unshakably confident. As we can see here, he’s had some big words for Klitschko ahead of the heavyweight clash:

They’re claims the veteran fighter has heard many times before, though. Now 39 years old, Klitschko—while not the most exciting competitor—has been imperious inside the ring and is unbeaten in professional fights since a loss to Lamon Brewster in 2004.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/Getty Images

It’s a measure of the size of the task awaiting Fury, especially—as he noted himself, per Powell—after the champion has had the luxury of choosing “the fight in their country” and “the size of the ring.” Eleven of Klitschko’s last 14 fights have been in Germany.

Stylistically, getting around the Ukrainian’s mechanical jab and avoiding his straight right will be the biggest challenges. The 39-year-old champion explained to Sky Sports how he’s going to deal with Fury’s own unique attributes:

There’s no denying this is one of the biggest challenges Klitschko has faced for a long time, so to see the bout called off at such a late stage would be a shame, especially for something as trivial as glove selection.

As Fury noted, it does seem to be a tactic to unsettle his preparations, and the wily champion will surely have a smile on his face when he reads these quotes from his flabbergasted opponent. Nevertheless, it’s another intriguing facet of the pre-fight buildup that’ll heighten excitement ahead of the ring walk on Saturday evening.