The Never-Ending Story: Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko Must Have Closure

Such is the size and stature of the man, Tyson Fury becomes the focus of attention the moment he steps into a room. On Monday, at a press conference in London, he managed to steal the limelight without even being present in the building.

Fury was due to attend an event to officially announce his long-overdue rematch with Wladimir Klitschko.

The two heavyweights are scheduled to fight again on October 29 in Manchester, England. The word scheduled is key, because until they're both in the same ring again, nothing should be taken for granted.

It could be seen as a worrying sign that Fury never even made it to the face-to-face meeting in front of the media.

However, a trio of reasons were provided for his absence. Heavy traffic + car trouble + a flat phone battery = no Tyson. And they say only good things come in threes.

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There was immediately a suspicion it was all part of an act. This, of course, was a man who turned up dressed as Batman for a press conference before his first bout with Klitschko last year. At their last media engagement, he turned up with cheerleaders and proceeded to take his top off to display his portly figure.

He is not averse to making a scene, that's for sure.

Yet his no-show in the English capital was for real. It left Klitschko—normally the straight man in their double act—to crack a funny, as he suggested his rival had gone from Batman to the Invisible Man.

There was actually one Fury present. Tyson's trainer and uncle, Peter, who revealed how training was going to plan with around six weeks to go.

"This time, both fighters know what they've got to do," he said, per Isaac Robinson of Sky Sports. "It makes for a mouthwatering fight."

If your mouth was really watering ever since Klitschko confirmed he would be activating the rematch clause in his initial contract, you'd have died of thirst by now. The first meeting hardly left everyone salivating at the prospect of a repeat.

Except, as Peter Fury pointed out, while the leading protagonists are the same again, the script has to change second time around.

Klitschko cannot be so inactive again. The Ukrainian surrendered his IBF, WBA and WBO belts with a whimper, as the CompuBox stats (h/t ESPN.co.uk) revealed he landed all of 52 punches over the course of 12 tense but ultimately tedious rounds.

Fury was hardly exhilarating himself, yet his clever head movement and use of the jab saw him control proceedings from a distance. He did what he needed to do to become heavyweight champion of the world—it's not his fault the other guy didn't want to engage.

He would have expected a late onslaught in the closing rounds but, like a cowboy with a conscience, Klitschko had the gun out of the holster but was reticent to pull the trigger.

It all meant a rather meek end to his long reign in the division, as he suffered his first defeat in over a decade. It looked like a rather sorry end to a successful career, too.

However, Klitschko has shown no intention of walking away. His older brother, Vitali, may have headed into politics, but Wlad still wants to settle debates with his fists.

By the time he steps into the ring again, Dr. Steelhammer will be a 40-year-old fighter who has been through two training camps yet hasn't thrown a meaningful punch in nearly 12 months. Father Time is the one foe he doesn't have a hope of beating, despite his impressive fitness regime.

He had been due to get his shot at revenge in July, only for Fury to suffer an ankle injury in training that scuppered the plan.

Even if the October date, for whatever reason, is also postponed, Klitschko still won't hang up his gloves. He is fixated by getting his belts back, per Nick Parkinson of ESPN:

"

I won't be surprised if something else happens, I'm prepared for anything to achieve my goal and I'm obsessed by that.

But eventually we will meet in the ring. The fight is going to come up for real and if it's not going to happen in October I will wait. I may be 41 then but I will wait if it gets put back to March or something. Eventually time will run out for the champion because he will need to defend the titles.

"

It can only be hoped that while obsessing over those lost titles, Klitschko has hatched a better plan of action. He will need to fathom a method to counter his opponent's four-inch reach advantage, allowing him to land more than the 18 power shots he mustered last November.

Peter Fury described the first meeting as a "chess match." Tyson had the brain to conquer then, and he has the brawn to win a physical battle second time around, too.

However, the main question with Fury surrounds his focus. He has attracted plenty of attention since his victory in Dusseldorf, Germany, mostly for quotes about a number of topics that have little or nothing to do with boxing.

There was some talk of early retirement—then suddenly talks about a potential fight with IBF champion Anthony Joshua. With Fury, you just never know what is around the corner.

On Monday, the only thing around the corner was yet more traffic, denying him the chance to come face-to-face with his foe again.

For the health of the heavyweight division, the fight needs to happen.

The Neverending Story is a fantasy novel written by German author Michael Ende. It also feels like the perfect title to describe the long-running saga between Fury and Klitschko, two contrasting characters who remain stuck together.

Fury was charged by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) over an alleged doping violation from way back in February 2015. However, as confirmed by Ben Dirs of BBC Sport, a hearing into the matter will not happen until after his next fight, in November.

Joshua and Deontay Wilder—the holder of the WBC title—are watching and waiting. After the Klitschko brothers dominated for so long, there is now a genuine debate over who is the best big man around.

Fury is rated as the best of the bunch by The Ring magazine. It would be disappointing for boxing fans—as well as journalists—if he suddenly walked away from the sport before turning 30.

A domestic battle with Joshua would be worth a fortune to everyone involved. Wilder's promoter Lou DiBella, meanwhile, told Sky Sports how Fury is the "golden goose" right now.

Before he can contemplate fighting anyone else, that goose has to deal with an old hand who refuses to go quietly into the night. Whisper it quietly, but the Fury-Klitschko saga could finally be nearing a conclusion.