Wladimir Klitschko probably never thought he would come up against Batman and the Joker.
Yet that was the bizarre scene that unfolded on Wednesday at a news conference in London to promote his heavyweight title defense against Britain’s Tyson Fury.
When the Ukrainian took his seat at the front table, he leaned across to glance at his title belts on display in front of his chair. Moments later, they were strewn across the floor.
Photo: Reuters
Fury ran in wearing the caped crusader’s outfit as the Batman theme tune played loudly in the room. After he sat down and the conference started, a man dressed as the Joker walked in and interrupted Fury.
The British fighter, who stands 2.06m, leaped across the table and wrestled the man to the floor, knocking Klitschko’s belts to the ground in what was a clearly staged performance.
The 27-year-old Fury pointed to the man on his back, laying on one of the belts, and shouted at Klitschko: “You, next! He is a fool, just like you are. Look at him. That is how you’ll be looking. You are old.”
Fury hoisted the Joker up and dragged him out of the room, before shortly reappearing in a gray suit, apologizing for being late. He tried to claim that it was not him dressed in the Batman costume.
“This is the most entertaining press conference I have been to,” Klitschko said. “Give Tyson Fury a round of applause.”
Fury, with a record of 24-0, challenges Klitschko (64-3) for his WBA, WBO and IBF titles in Duesseldorf, Germany, on Oct. 24.
The 39-year-old Klitschko stayed composed throughout the proceedings, despite Fury repeatedly calling him “an old man” and saying that the champion had only fought “pretenders” in “fixed fights.”
However, the 1.98m Klitschko riled Fury by calling him “a clown.”
“I will let my fists do the talking,” Klitschko said. “I am going to make you eat your words... I have got friends from the circus industry. They can give you a job as a clown. Clowns make people laugh. It is their job and right now, after watching this theater, the screaming, the running and the costumes, it is in your genes.”
Fury immediately rose to his feet and had to be restrained from confronting Klitschko.
“You need a therapist,” Klitschko said. “You are visiting a doctor right now. There is five weeks until the fight, but my therapy has already started. The treatment is going to continue. I will take care of business.”
Fury said he would end Klitschko’s career by knocking him out and that he does not think he can win on points with the fight being held in Germany.
“I am going to send you into retirement,” Fury said. “The last two letters of your name is ‘ko.’ It has been a long time since you have been on the canvas. I don’t think I’m going to get a decision in Germany and I’m not going to leave the biggest fight of my life in someone else’s hands.”
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