The rematch between Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko that could have decided the future of the heavyweight division on October 29 has been called off.
The fight, which was for Fury's WBA (Unified), WBO, IBO, Ring magazine, and lineal heavyweight titles, had been set for earlier in the summer, but due to an injury that Fury suffered weeks before the fight, it was postponed for October 29. This time, however, there is no specific reason why Fury pulled out of the fight.
Mick Hennessy, Fury's promoter, made the announcement on September 23 and simply said that Fury is not medically fit to fight.
"It is with the deepest regret that we have to announce that the world heavyweight championship rematch between Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko will not be going ahead," Hennessy said. "Tyson has, this week, been declared medically unfit to fight. Medical specialists have advised that the condition is too severe to allow him to participate in the rematch and that he will require treatment before going back into the ring."
While Fury has had injury problems in the past -- most notably the injury that caused the fight to be postponed the first time -- there may be a different reason why Fury had been medically unfit to fight. According to ESPN's Dan Rafael, a source with knowledge of the situation, there was a letter from Fury's doctor that explained the British boxer is suffering from mental health issues and that he might be "unavailable for the foreseeable future."
"Tyson will now immediately undergo the treatment he needs to make a full recovery," Hennessy said. "We and Tyson wish to express our sincerest apologies to all those concerned with the event and all the boxing fans who had been looking forward to the rematch. Tyson is understandably devastated by the development. We will be making a further statement in due course. Until then, we ask that Tyson and his family be given the privacy and the space he needs to recover during this difficult time."
Fury won his heavyweight titles from Klitschko back in November 28, 2015. It had been the Ukrainians' first loss since 2004.
