Wladimir Klitschko’s main motivation going into his July 9 rematch with Tyson Fury seems to be Fury’s mouth, and his very real desire to close it with a gloved fist. It’s no secret Klitschko does not like some of the things Fury has come out with in recent times – indeed, Fury has caused nothing but outrage in some quarters, what with his views on everything from homosexuality to the Jewish race – and the ex-champ who was dethroned by Fury last November has again laid into Fury for his verbal outbursts.
Klitschko was not in any way satisfied by Fury’s apology for his recent on-line video that featured him talking about, amongst other things, how “the Jews own all the banks.” Fury issued an apology stating he is neither a racist nor a bigot, but Klitschko has called for Fury to be banned from boxing, or suspended.
“I’m fighting a guy who cannot hold his mouth on certain things,” Klitschko said from his Austrian training base, as reported by The Guardian. “I was in shock about his statements about women, the gay community, and when he got to the Jewish people he sounded like Hitler. The man is an imbecile. Seriously. You cannot put it all together as a representation of the sport of boxing. He’s an imbecile champion. We cannot have a champion like that. Either he needs to be shut up or shut down in the ring, or just suspended, because you cannot create more hate. Friction creates friction – what next is he going to say?”
So will Klitschko shut Fury up by beating him in Manchester in July? If Fury were to be banned or suspended, there would be no rematch, and Klitschko would have no chance to redeem himself, so it’s perhaps strange that Wladimir is calling for that. It won’t happen. So can Klitschko improve on his performance of last November? The 40-year-old insists he can – by simply throwing more punches.
“There was a lack of punches thrown and whatever it was I’m going to fix it and we are capable of doing that,” Klitschko said. “I’ve had three defeats before and after each defeat I came back stronger. It’s not just British boxing fans I’ll be doing a favour when I beat him, it’ll be for Klitschko fans and boxing fans in general.”
Klitscko added how he is full of admiration for IBF champ Anthony Joshua and – in a separate interview with Sky Sports – said he would like to fight Joshua after he has beaten “Idiot Fury.”
Has Klitschko got a new verve and appetite for fighting? Motivation can prove to be a powerful tool.
