Yesterday news broke from the WBA offices in Panama City, Panama that an agreement has been reached for World Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko to defend his belts against undefeated Tyson Fury this coming October 24 in Germany.
The gathering in Panama was used as a purse bid from promoters, but both camps came into an agreement shortly before that process started. Russian promoter Vladimir Hryunov was present representing himself and partner Frank Warren, and he had an $18 million purse bid in tow that did not come into play.
Fury is reported to be very happy with the agreement, which is said to be paying him in excess of 5 million UK pounds. This will be among the biggest boxing matches of the year, as the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf can hold more than 60,000 people.
Look for Fury to open an underdog for this match, as everyone does against the dominant Klitschko. But the fact is that Fury may represent the biggest challenge in years for Klitschko, and the line may open much closer than recent Klitschko lines.
Fury also benefits from wide fan support in England, and that is another factor that could make the line closer than usual. Fury will be one of the few fighters who has a reach and height advantage over Klitschko. Klitschko has handled that disadvantage before, most recently against Poland’s then undefeated Mariusz Wach back in November of 2012, but he did not score a KO against the bigger man. Fury is creditted with better movement and footwork than Wach, and he has worked hard over the past years to lift the level of his boxing skill.
Another factor to potentially take in is the fact that Klitschko clearly does not see Fury as a threat and is looking past him. Klitschko is approaching records for the longest reign and most title defenses in heavyweight history, and it is unlikely that he will give any more or any less attention to Fury than to any other contenders. For the winner, a date with WBC World Champion Deontay Wilder is the next lucrative fight. Wilder and the last major world title not in his possession are what Klitschko will target after he gets by Fury.
