Tyson Fury threatens to pull out of Klitschko fight

TYSON Fury is threatening to pull out of his world heavyweight title fight against Wladimir Klitschko because the canvas in the ring is too soft.

Fury made a complaint to the British Boxing Board of Control. Picture: Getty

“They need to change it. If they don’t change, then we have a problem,” Asif Vali, Fury’s agent, told The Associated Press hours before tonight’s fight at a 55,000-seat soccer stadium in Duesseldorf.

Vali said Fury had made a complaint to the British Boxing Board of Control and the fight commissioner and “if it’s not resolved, the fight is in serious jeopardy of being off.”

Vali said: “This is pretty serious news. The foam underlay is too soft. It’s five inches (12.7 centimeters) thick, which doesn’t help a big lad going into a ring. We’ve never seen canvas like this before. It’s too much from a health and safety point of view, because he can easily do (damage) his ankle. Usually there’s only a two-inch foam, and that’s it - this is between 5 and 6 inches.”

Vali said the 27-year-old Fury had looked at the canvas and “says it’s ridiculous and that he can’t fight in a ring like that.”

The undefeated Fury (18 knockouts in 24 bouts), a former British, Irish, European, and Commonwealth champion, is bidding to end Klitschko’s heavyweight reign and take the Ukrainian’s WBA, IBF and minor WBO and IBO belts.

The 39-year-old Klitschko, whose record is 64 wins with 53 knockouts from 67 fights, weighed in at 111.5 kilos (246 pounds) on Friday, giving Fury a slight advantage at 112 kilograms (247 pounds).

Fury, at 2.09-meters (6-foot-9), is also taller than the 1.98-meter (6-foot-6) Klitschko.