Klitschko-Fury heavyweight title fight ‘is on’ after issue with soft canvas is resolved

DUESSELDORF, Germany – Tyson Fury has withdrawn a complaint about the canvas being too soft for Saturday’s world heavyweight title fight against Wladimir Klitschko, meaning the bout will go ahead as planned.

Fury’s agent, Asif Vali, said organizers had agreed to remove a layer of foam to make the canvas firmer.

“The fight is on,” Fury’s agent Asif Vali told The Associated Press, six hours before the bout was due to take place at a 55,000-seat soccer stadium in Duesseldorf.

“One of the canvas layers is being removed. There were three layers of foam and one is being removed for health and safety reasons,” Vali added. “It’s being done right now. The fight is definitely on. Everything’s fine.”

Fury had earlier threatened to pull out of the fight if the canvas wasn’t changed, and he made a complaint to the British Boxing Board of Control and the fight commissioner.

“They need to change it. If they don’t change it, then we have a problem,” Vali said earlier, adding that “the foam underlay is too soft. It’s five inches (12.7 centimetres) 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 five and six 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.

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AP Sports Writer Steve Douglas contributed from Manchester, England.