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British heavyweight contender Tyson Fury will risk his status as a mandatory challenger for world champion Wladimir Klitschko by fighting Feb. 28 at the O2 Arena in London, promoter Frank Warren announced Wednesday.
Fury does not have an opponent yet for the headline fight on the card -- Warren promised "a top 15-ranked contender" -- but because the mandatory world title bout will not take place until at least next summer, he wanted to remain active.
The 26-year-old Fury (23-0, 17 KOs) is coming off a superb performance in a 10th-round knockout in a one-sided destruction of countryman Dereck Chisora in their rematch Nov. 29 in London. The fight was the final eliminator to produce one of Klitschko's mandatory challengers. In addition, Fury also won the European title and vacant British title.
Klitschko (63-3, 54 KOs) is slated to make his 18th title defense April 25 (HBO), likely against American Bryant Jennings (19-0, 10 KOs) in New York. The winner of that fight likely would face Fury later in the year in the mandatory defense.
"It's great to have my first fight of the year up and announced so now I can go away, have a break over Christmas and then get back in the gym with a goal to aim for," Fury said. "When I haven't got a fight lined up, I find it hard to concentrate. I need that focus to aim toward, and at least I know I'm fighting on Feb. 28 and then I've got the WBO world title fight next. I'll have my opponent confirmed shortly, and then I'll let my trainer and uncle, Peter, get on with setting up the training camp and fight plans."
The 6-foot-9, 265-pound Fury said the win against Chisora and another one in February should have him ready to face the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Klitschko, whom he said he has wanted to fight for a while.
"The win against Chisora was very satisfying because I showed that I'm not just a crash, bang, wallop fighter. I can box clever and take someone apart clinically," Fury said. "I'm now the mandatory challenger to Klitschko, and there's no way he can dodge me. He can either vacate the title or defend the title against me. Either way I'm going to fight for the world title this summer. Klitschko can have his fight in [April], but then he knows he's got me next. He's run from me for the last two years and now knows that I'm reality and I'm next.
"He can be a fighting man and show the world he's not scared by defending his title against me or prove what I've been saying about him for the last few years by vacating the title without fighting me. Ideally, I want to fight the man who is holding the belt, the champion, this so-called great Wladimir Klitschko. I don't want the vacant belt. I want Klitschko."
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Warren said he looked into making the fight between Klitschko, who is from the Ukraine but fights primarily in Germany, and Fury next, although Klitschko's team was already working on the deal with Jennings with plans to fight in the United States for the first time since 2008.
"I emailed Klitschko's business manager, Bernd Boente, to try and cut through all the tape and make the fight for March, but I've not had a response back from them yet," Warren said. "That's fine, but they'll have to sit down and negotiate after Klitschko has had his fight or we can go to purse bids. Either way, Fury's going to fight for the world title this year.
"We'll have Tyson's opponent confirmed shortly, but the main thing is that he keeps busy as he's only fought twice in a year and a half and this next fight will keep him active before he fights again in the summer. Tyson is the mandatory challenger to Klitschko, and it's a position we want to preserve. Klitschko is the long reigning champion, the guy who holds [three of the four major] belts, and ideally we want him to defend the title against Tyson.
"Obviously, [titleholder] Bermane Stiverne and Deontay Wilder fight on Jan. 17 and the winner of that could be another potential avenue for Fury, and if an opportunity comes up there, then it will be worth exploring, but it's Klitschko who we want."
Warren also announced that middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. (18-1, 13 KOs), who lost a rousing split decision to Billy Joe Saunders in a world title elimination fight (and European and British title fight) on the Fury-Chisora II undercard, would return on the Feb. 28 card against an opponent to be announced.
In addition, Warren said British and Commonwealth champion Liam Walsh (17-0, 11 KOs) would defend his belts on the card.
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