Tyson Fury vs Wladimir Klitschko 2 rematch fight news 2015: Newly crowned champ Fury stripped of IBF belt in dismaying decision
Tyson Fury took the boxing world by surprise after he defeated Wladimir Klitschko to win three heavyweight title belts, including the WBA, WBO, and the IBF. But after just days of reigning supreme, the Briton has been stripped by the IBF of his title for declining to defend the title against mandatory challenger and number one ranked fighter, Vyacheslav Glazkov.
The move to strip Fury of his belt just days after winning it, highlights the frustrating nature of boxing for many fans and undermines the multi-belt system. Fury couldn't possibly put himself in two fights at once and as he already signed a deal with Klitschko prior to their title match, giving the right to the Ukrainian to demand a rematch should he be defeated, Fury was forced to choose to break his deal with Klitschko and take on the relatively unknown Glazkov, or to honor his contract with Klitschko and give boxing fans what they wanted - a rematch against the former champ.
Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) would be a massive favorite to defeat Glazkov, withe the challenger already suffering three lopsided defeats in his career. But with Fury no longer the champ, the IBF has told Glazkov to fight Charles Martin for the vacant title in a bout that couldn't be further from capturing the imagination of the boxing public.
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The fourth ranked heavyweight comes with an impressive record of 22-0-1, with 20 KOs. Based on paper, Glazkov will be putting everything at risk here because Martin is no pushover. As a matter of fact, he is taller than Glazkov and will certainly make it very difficult for the top-ranked contender for the IBF to even last 12 rounds.
Talking to BBC Sport, IBF's head Lindsey Tucker confirmed that Fury has been stripped and that the title is now vacant.
"It's true he's been stripped of his IBF belt. Our challenger was Vyacheslav Glazkov, but instead Fury's gone and signed a rematch clause with Wladimir Klitschko," Tucker added, dismaying a large portion of the boxing public.
While Fury still has the WBO and WBA heavyweight belts, the WBC counterpart is owned by exciting American heavyweight Deontay Wilder. And as of this posting, there still is no official word as to when the Fury-Klitschko rematch will take place.
