By Jake Donovan
Tyson Fury risks a mandatory title shot at World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in a stay busy bout versus fringe contender Christian Hammer. The scheduled 12-round clash takes place Saturday evening at O2 Arena in London, England.
Both fighters had one final exchange of harsh words and finger pointing during Friday's weigh-in festivities (pictures to come, for those demanding visual proof). Fury tipped the scales at 260 lb., while Hammer checked in at a career lightest 240 lb.
Fury (23-0, 17KOs) was named the mandatory challenger to Klitschko's crown following career-best win in stopping Dereck Chisora after 10 rounds last November. The bout was a rematch to their July '11 clash, when both were unbeaten prospects but neither boasting much in the way of discipline at the time.
The repeat win late last year carried far greater significance, with a world title shot at stake. Fury rose to the occasion to move towards his first shot at a major belt, but has opted to keep active in accepting Saturday's bout.
Hammer (17-3, 10KOs) comes in riding a 10-fight win streak. The bout marks his first career contest in the United Kingdom, having fought near exclusively in his adopted homeland of Germany, as well as back-to-back appearances in 2013 in his birth country of Romania.
In the co-feature, Russia's Dmitry Chudinov travels to hostile territory to put his unbeaten record and interim middleweight title on the line versus Chris Eubank Jr.
Both fighters made weight for the bout, coming in just under the 160 lb. middleweight limit. Chudinov weighed 159.5 lb., while Eubank came in at a fighting ready 159.75 lb.
Chudinov (14-0-2, 9KOs) has previously fought twice in England, fighting to an eight-round draw versus Patrick Mendy in July '13, and picking up an eight-round win just two months later. Saturday's contest marks the third defense of his secondary alphabet belt he claimed in Dec. '13.
Eubank Jr. (18-1, 13KOs) - the son of the former two-division champion of the same name - is granted the title shot despite coming off of a loss, having dropped a 12-round split decision to countryman and bitter rival Billy Joe Saunders in their middleweight clash last November. The bout - which served as the chief support to Fury's aforementioned rematch win over Chisora - served as a final eliminator for the WBO version of the middleweight strap.
Despite the loss, Eubank Jr. manages to land a shot at a different belt in this wonderful era of multiple titles per weight class - and in the case of the WBA, per sanctioning body.
Saturday's show will air live on BoxNation in the United Kingdom.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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