Wladimir Klitschko Exercises Tyson Fury Rematch Clause: Comments and Reaction

Wladimir Klitschko has announced that he will exercise his contractual right to face Tyson Fury in a rematch, having lost to the Englishman on Saturday.

After a decade of dominance in the heavyweight division, Klitschko, 39, was beaten by unanimous decision in Dusseldorf, Germany, and Fury claimed his WBA, WBO and IBF titles.

The Ukrainian has now announced he will take up the option to fight Fury, 27, again and attempt to win back his belts in 2016: 

Klitschko is adamant that he can turn in a much better performance in his next fight against the self-styled Gypsy King than he did at the Esprit Arena, per Boxing News:

"I was really frustrated directly after the fight but after some short nights I now know that I want to show that I am much better than my performance on Saturday. I couldn’t show my full potential at any time. This is what I want to change in the rematch—and I will. Failure is not an option."

The Daily Star provided fight details from a source close to Fury:

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"£50m would not be far wrong for such a colossal fight when you consider we could sell out Wembley, plus pay-per-view-TV and all the rest of it. We are certainly looking at Wembley in late May as the No 1 venue but Old Trafford and even a return to Germany are in the frame."

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Fury came into the title fight with great confidence but as a significant underdog, given the calibre of his opponent.

He executed his game plan to perfection and was deservedly crowned the new heavyweight champion of the world.

Fury's victory against Klitschko took his unbeaten professional record to 25-0, while handing the veteran his fourth defeat in 68 fights.

He revealed after the fight that he does not plan to fight on "all my life", but he will surely be hugely motivated to show once again that he can beat Klitschko, per Sky Sports (via audioBoom):

Some suggested after the clash that Klitschko showed his age, and many will question whether he still has what it takes to win his titles back, per British middleweight Chris Eubank Jr.:

Sports reporter Paul Higham believes that Fury deserves to be the favourite for their next fight, considering how Klitschko struggled in Germany:

Fury previously suggested that he can get even better and that there is no way Klitschko will beat him in a rematch, no matter where and when it is fought, per Sky Sports News HQ (via BBC Sport):

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If he had 10 years to train, the result would be the same next time. I think he will take the rematch, but who knows when he gets home and has time to think about it. It doesn't really matter to me where I fight. Japan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, America—wherever it has to be. I'd like to come back to Germany again to fight Wlad. I enjoyed it here and I got a great reception from the German fans.

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A rematch back in Germany seems likely, given the commercial viability of such a clash, but Fury has also mentioned Dublin's Croke Park and Manchester's Old Trafford as venues he would like to fight in, per Ireland's RTE Radio.

Wherever it takes place, it will undoubtedly be one of the boxing highlights of 2016 and arguably the toughest possible test of the new world champion's credentials, as Klitschko will be desperate to reclaim his belts.