Wladimir Klitschko vs. Tyson Fury: TV Schedule, Live Stream and Predictions
Germany will play host to one of boxing's biggest nights of this year, as Wladimir Klistchko will put five heavyweight championships on the line against undefeated challenger Tyson Fury.
Klistchko has been unstoppable for 11 years, including nearly 10 as world heavyweight champion. This will be the 39-year-old's 19th title defense since winning the IBF and IBO belts in April 2006. His previous bout this year was an impressive unanimous decision win against Bryant Jennings.
On the other side, Fury has been a hammer rising through the ranks and biding his time to get a shot against Klitschko on this stage. He's won each of his last four fights via stoppage, including a February victory over Christian Hammer.
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| World Heavyweight Championship | Wladimir Klitshcko (c) (64-3, 54 KOs) vs. Tyson Fury (24-0, 18 KOs) | Klitschko via Unanimous Decision |
| Super Lightweight | Robert Tlatlik (16-0, 10 KOs) vs. Uhr Said Rahimi (9-2, 8 KOs) | Tlatlik via TKO |
| Heavyweight | Hughie Fury (16-0, 8 KOs) vs. TBD | N/A |
| Amateur Bout | David Graf (10-1, 7 KOs) vs. Anton Pinchuk (5-2) | Graf via Unanimous Decision |
| Super Middleweight | Samy Musa (8-0, 7 KOs) vs. Jay Spencer (10-0, 7 KOs) | Musa via TKO |
| Lightweight | Patrick Korte (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. Moises Distino (1-0, 1 KO) | Korte via KO |
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Esprit Arena (Dusseldorf, Germany) | HBO | 4:45 p.m. | HBO Go |
What They Are Saying
Klitschko is not a small man, but Fury does make an intimidating presence with his 6'9" frame and 85" reach. The challenger has three inches of height and four inches of reach on the champion, allowing him to strike at distances few fighters in the world are capable of.
Fury is certainly aware of how the oddsmakers see this fight ending up, as OddsShark.com currently has Klitschko as a 1-5 favorite. He brought up some legendary names from boxing's history upon being made aware of that fact, per Sean Ingle of The Guardian:
"I’m a 4-1 underdog but Cassius Clay was a big underdog against Sonny Liston and so was Leon Spinks against Muhammad Ali and Buster Douglas against Mike Tyson. Underdogs win. I think it’ll pan out with me knocking him out. I don’t intend to leave it to anyone else – my destiny is in these two hands.
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While not exactly the same sport, Fury only needs to look at UFC's most recent pay-per-view in which Holly Holm shocked the world by knocking out Ronda Rousey to win the women's bantamweight championship.
Fury also claims to have found a formula to beat Klitschko, which will require him going a little unorthodox, speaking to the Manchester Evening News (per James Slater of FightNews.com):
"The key to beating Klitschko is from a southpaw stance. Corrie Sanders was a southpaw. Tony Thompson gave him problems – both times from a southpaw. Both of those guys were long range fighters, which I am – but they never had my inside game. It makes fights easy. The defence from southpaw is impregnable I believe.
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Fury's use of previous Klitschko opponents as evidence the champion is vulnerable to southpaws is sound, though Corrie Sanders knocked him out way back in 2003 and Tony Thompson was eventually knocked out twice.
Taking a fight from 12 years ago, when Klitschko has evolved to the point where he's more than capable of making adjustments mid-fight, doesn't do much to help Fury's cause.
Klitschko is taking a stance against Fury that would make Mike Tyson proud, stating that all the strategy in the world doesn't make much difference when you get hit, per the Press Association (h/t the National).
"As soon as he’s going to get hurt he’s going to go back to basics. It’s always like that in boxing. You can pretend, like you’re southpaw, or regular, whatever you pretend, but you’re going to go back to basics on survival instinct. There is nothing easy, but I’m think I’m more aggressive towards tall guys, than with shorter guys.
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One interesting aspect of this bout is Fury's weight. According to BoxRec.com, he's come into his previous four bouts weighing at least 254 pounds. The UK native comes into Saturday weighing in 247 pounds, compared to 246 pounds for Klitschko, per ESPN.com.
Fury is not a stranger to entering the ring at less than 250 pounds, but this will be the first time he has done it since December 2012. The decrease in mass will give him more speed and flexibility against the champion, though it could come at the cost of power.
Klitschko, meanwhile, has been in the 240-250 pound range for most of his career. The ability to control a fight with speed and agility, though he's not afraid to drop the hammer early with each of his last five knockouts coming in the sixth round or earlier.
Prediction
Fury's confidence coming into the fight will serve him well, though it's nothing Klitschko hasn't seen before.
The problem for Fury, as noted by former Klitschko opponent David Haye, is he's fighting an entirely different caliber of fighter than ever before, per Nick Parkinson of ESPN.com:
"Is he going to beat Wladimir Klitschko, who is a consummate professional inside and outside the ring? I don't really give him a shot. I only give Fury a 1 in 20 shot. He has never beaten any one world class. Dereck Chisora is the best person he's beaten. You look at Klitschko and it is a whole different story."
While boxing fans and analysts can lament about the lack of talent in the heavyweight division, Klitschko has been able to stop every challenge in his way since Oct. 2004. He's the rare combination of size and speed that big men often lack.
Klitschko's ability to adapt in a long fight or slugfest have caused him zero problems. Fury is looking for his place in the spotlight, which is a good way to make a mistake. Klitschko will walk out of Germany the same way he came in—as the world heavyweight champion.
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