Page 21 - ATD28NOV2015

SPORTS A21
Saturday 28 November 2015

Tyson Fury slightly heavier than Klitschko ahead of title bout

CIARAN FAHEY Challenger Tyson Fury, right, and world champion Wladimir Klitschko, left, stand on the podium But Klitschko has no inten-
Associated Press after the Official Weigh-In in Essen, Germany, prior their heavyweight boxing fight, Friday, Nov. tion of ending his career just
ESSEN, Germany (AP) — 27, 2015. under four months before
No antics, no singing, no his 40th birthday. Four more
goading, and no boastful Associated Press fights have been agreed
declarations. with German broadcaster
Tyson Fury’s respectful de- The 39-year-old Klitschko, RTL. “It’s still fun for me and I
meanor at the weigh-in whose record is 64 wins feel fit,” said Klitschko, who
for his much-anticipated with 53 knockouts from is missing the WBC belt that
heavyweight bout against 67 fights, is 1.98-meters (6- his brother Vitali vacated
Wladimir Klitschko on Sat- foot-6), putting him in the to concentrate on politics.
urday suggested he was unusual position of fighting The older Klitschko is the
now concentrating solely a taller opponent, though mayor of Kiev, Ukraine.
on the task at hand. Fury — 12 years his junior — Klitschko promoter Bernd
After a buildup dominated tends to crouch when he Boente said the “highest
by humor - Fury dressed up fights, giving some of that possible security measures”
as Batman, sung to Klitsch- advantage away. will be in place following
ko, and complimented Fury said he saw “fear” in the Paris attacks, and the
him on his scent, while also Klitschko’s eyes. terror scare that led to the
making wild boasts of end- “I see a nervous man, on late cancellation of a soc-
ing his rival’s long heavy- his last legs, preparing to cer friendly between Ger-
weight reign - the British be taken out,” said Fury, a many and Netherlands last
fighter stuck to the script former British, Irish, Europe- week in Hannover.
on Friday, maintaining his an, and Commonwealth Rod Stewart is due to per-
silence during the obliga- champion. form before the bout,
tory staredown that ended when a 40-man choir is to
with a handshake. sing the anthems.q
Fury will hold a slight weight
advantage when he takes
on Klitschko for his WBA, IBF
and minor WBO and IBO
belts, at a 55,000-seat soc-
cer stadium in Duesseldorf.
The undefeated British
fighter (24 wins, 18 KOs)
weighed in at 112 kilo-
grams (247 pounds), while
Klitschko came in at 111.5
kilos (246 pounds).
The 2.09-meter (6-foot-9)
Fury had been expected
to weigh more. Both fight-
ers’ relative low weights
suggest they are going for
speed, and will do their
best to end the fight pre-
maturely.