World heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko’s next title defense is likely to be a mandatory WBA bout against Briton Tyson Fury, the Ukrainian said in the early hours of yesterday.
“I just got the news that I am obligated to satisfy my mandatories [title defenses],” Klitschko, who holds the WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO and Ring Magazine belts, said after winning a unanimous decision over US challenger Bryant Jennings. “The way it looks, Tyson Fury is going to be my next challenger.”
Klitschko improved to 64-3 with his victory at Madison Square Garden. Fury is 24-0.
Klitschko said he would prefer adding the last belt, the WBC one held by American Deontay Wilder, to complete his collection, but would have to wait until next year for that chance.
The Ukrainian, who has held a share of the heavyweight crowns for nine years running, said negotiations would begin soon on a fight against Fury.
“Obviously a fight with Tyson Fury is not going to be in the United States,” he said. “I think this fight needs to happen in Europe. I know that he’s the WBA mandatory. It’s something that I have to do. Fighting Fury in Germany or in Great Britain, that’s something we have to figure out. It’s something we have to work out.”
Taiwanese tennis veteran Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) and her Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko finished runners-up in the Wimbledon women's doubles final yesterday, losing 6-3, 2-6, 4-6. The three-set match against Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens of Belgium lasted two hours and 23 minutes. The loss denied 39-year-old Hsieh a chance to claim her 10th Grand Slam title. Although the Taiwanese-Latvian duo trailed 1-3 in the opening set, they rallied with two service breaks to take it 6-3. In the second set, Mertens and Kudermetova raced to a 5-1 lead and wrapped it up 6-2 to even the match. In the final set, Hsieh and
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