How Tyson Fury could dethrone Wladimir Klitschko to shock the world

On Saturday evening, all but one of boxing’s world heavyweight championships are on the line as a former Olympic gold medallist, who has been unbeaten in the professional ranks for over a decade, defends his belts against a guy who likes to dress up as Batman.

Believe it or not, that is actually how some are viewing the collision between Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury. A large portion of the boxing community are sceptical that Britain’s Fury will offer a serious challenge to the man who has dominated for years.

So, does Fury really stand a chance of backing up his many, many words and finally breaking the Klitschko stronghold on the heavyweight scene?

Here’s how he could get it done.

The majority of Klitschko’s recent defences have fit a formula, reminiscent of when the suits in charge of the pre-determined world of professional wrestling would build up big, massive ‘bad guys’ by having them run roughshod for a little bit before being conquered by hero Hulk Hogan. As a result, much of the way Fury has hyped this opportunity has invoked a sense of deja vu for the fight fan.

However, nobody yet has quite been so committed to the cause as this challenger.

A special head-to-head documentary featuring the two offered tremendous insight into just how determined Fury is to prove that what he says about Klitschko being past his prime is true. Every previous Klitschko foe - including David Haye - came across as if they were reading their anti-Wlad media lines from a script. Tyson has been detailed, articulate and, as some of his anecdotes from the face-to-face have proven, disturbingly committed to his cause.

Perhaps Klitschko has finally found the Joker to his Batman - as ironic as that is, considering Fury’s press conference appearance as the ‘Caped Crusader’.

While this doesn’t guarantee an upset, of course, it does indicate that the fight itself should be a good one - and only Kubrat Pulev has managed that out of the champ recently.

Speaking of Pulev, he and Tony Thompson (twice) are members of an exclusive club of heavyweight boxers who have at least got close enough to Klitschko to trade shots with the champ, even if they still ended up losing.

As has been documented for some time, Klitschko has altered his fighting style after he surprisingly lost two title fights in 2003 and 2004 - his last defeats (for now).

No longer looking to take the fight to the other guy and overpower them, Klitschko uses his massive frame to lean back, protect himself with his jab and either utterly frustrate the opponent or wear them down for an eventual stoppage. It’s part of the reason why many fans have tuned out from heavyweight boxing, with this monotonous monster on top.

Thompson’s wily perseverance and Pulev’s own formidable size and aggression allowed them to actually get past that jab, those grabs and constant weaves and land some serious punches. The only problem was, when they broke down the door to the proverbial fortress, Wlad was armed and ready to greet his invaders with full artillery and won by stoppage.

Fury and his fans all fancy the challenger to be able to get past the irritating guard of Klitschko, unlike Haye. His own size (6’9”) and unorthodox style should ensure that. The problem is, will he be able to handle the ensuing stand-up duel when he does?

Klitschko will be waiting for Tyson to expend energy and invest his hands in getting close to the champ, leaving him open for Klitschko to start landing power punches when it suits him. Fury has also been put on the canvas by Steve Cunningham, a cruiserweight who stepped up a division, leaving massive questions regarding his ability to take a hit.

Fury will need to have an elaborate plan for how he intends to hurt Wlad - landing one good shot will excite fans and media alike, but history dictates that this won’t prevent the Ukrainian from overwhelming him. He also needs to be ready to take some shots in the process, if he’s to sustain the pressure long enough to finally drag the champ out of his comfort zone.

Fury has claimed on several occasions that he is going for a knockout victory. Far from merely ticking the ‘I’m gonna smash my opponent into smithereens!’ cliché box, he has explained this gameplan on two fronts.

Firstly, to back up his claims that he will drag an entertaining bout, a ‘proper’ heavyweight slugfest out of Wlad, Fury has vowed that someone will get their lights knocked out on the night, whether it be him or Klitschko. Second, he has expressed his doubts that, if it went the distance, the ‘hometown’ judges (Klitschko has all but adopted Germany as his fighting nation) would even consider ruling in favour of the challenger, no matter what he does.

However, while judges can produce some disgustingly-questionable decisions in boxing, there is no fooling the millions of fight fans across the globe - so perhaps a 12-round strategy could work.

Wlad, as mentioned above, will be ready for a Fury onslaught, especially as it’s been promised ad nauseam. If Fury were to instead look to make Klitschko uncomfortable by using his range and dipping in for a couple of shots, then getting out before he is hurt, and back and forth on repeat, he could seriously take control of the fight away from the man Fury himself labelled a ‘control freak’.

The worst case here would be that the judges give the win to Klitschko after 12 even if Fury has managed to outbox him by refusing to fight his style. If this happens, true boxing fans will be outraged, a rematch will be ensured and Wlad’s reputation will take a huge hit.

It’s a bit of a long game, especially for someone like Fury, but it’s a far more desirable scenario than to be knocked out cold in round five.