Former heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko on Saturday voiced frustration that his rematch with champion Tyson Fury was called off for the second time in three months.
"I am totally disappointed that Fury canceled the fight for a second time," Klitschko said in a statement given to ESPN just one day after the fight was canceled. "I am in top shape and I would have loved to retrieve my world championship belts in Manchester."
Klitschko and Fury were scheduled to fight in a rematch on Oct. 29 at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, Fury's hometown. However, the bout was postponed in late June after Fury pulled out, saying he sprained his ankle during a training run and being told by his doctor to lay off it for about six weeks.
On Friday the fight was canceled altogether when the erratic Fury, who skipped the announcement news conference in London two weeks ago saying he had car trouble, pulled out again. Promoter Mick Hennessy said Fury's doctor had declared him "medically unfit to fight" and that "medical specialists have advised that the condition is too severe to allow him to participate in the rematch and that he will require treatment before going back into the ring."
It was a vague statement with no specifics given. However, multiple sources with knowledge of the correspondence between the Fury and Klitschko camps on Friday told ESPN that it included a letter from Fury's doctor saying he was having mental health issues, that there was discussion of his being admitted to a treatment facility and that he would be "unavailable for the foreseeable future."
Klitschko, who was set to open his full training camp in the Austrian mountains on Tuesday, also posted a video on social media Saturday giving his thoughts about the situation, saying he planned to move on to another fight.
"As you already know, Oct. 29 revenge against Tyson Fury is canceled due to whatever issue this time Fury has," Klitschko said. "Screw it. I will move forward and I will keep you posted when and against whom my next fight is going to be staged. I will rely on information from the sanctioning bodies. They will move on with the titles Fury currently has. I will keep you posted."
With Fury expected to be out of action for at least several more months, there is a strong possibility he will be stripped of his belts for inactivity and that Klitschko will be positioned to fight for at least one of them.
"The situation really is depressing for Wladimir," Bernd Boente, his manager, told ESPN. "Since Fury cannot box for a long time, the world boxing organizations will react for sure. We are waiting for their prompt decision."
Heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17 KOs), Fury's British countryman, is scheduled to make his second defense on Nov. 26 at Manchester Arena, but he does not have an opponent yet. When Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, was asked Friday about the possibility of offering the fight to Klitschko, Hearn said he had already reached out to Klitschko's camp to gauge interest.
"We love the fight," Hearn said.
Klitschko used Joshua, before he won a title, in one of his training camps as a sparring partner and raved about his talent.
Klitschko, who turned pro in 1996 after winning the Olympic super heavyweight gold medal, is approaching the longest layoff of his career because of Fury's cancellations, and he is not happy about it.
"Since I became a professional boxer in 1996, I never had such a long break," Klitschko said.
In one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history, Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) ended Klitschko's 9½-year title reign with a unanimous decision onNov. 28 at Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany, where the Ukraine-born Klitschko (64-4, 54 KOs) is a major star.
Klitschko immediately exercised his contractual right to a rematch.