By James Slater: Unfortunately, news has been released reporting yet another postponed fight in a year that has been filled with them. This one, however, could not have been avoided; as Ring Magazine, WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko underwent surgery to remove a kidney stone this past Saturday.
Early reports suggested the 35-year-old was feeling fine and that Saturday’s fight with Frenchman Jean Marc Mormeck would likely go ahead as planned. But now it has been announced that “Dr Steel Hammer” is in too much pain to fight. According to reports from Frankfurt, Germany, a new date of March 3rd is being looked at as the replacement date.
“We hope to know in two or three days,” Bernd Boetne, the Klitschko’s manager said as quoted by ESPN.com. “Mormeck is also ready to accept it [the new date].”
In truth, Klitschko-Mormeck is not a fight fans are particularly excited about. Most people simply feel the ageing former cruiserweight ruler is both too old and too small (not to mention lacking in heavyweight punching power) to be able to last too many rounds with the mighty Klitschko; let alone actually win the fight.
Still, it’s tough not to feel some sympathy for “The Marksman” right now. Having undergone a hard training camp that left him feeling confident enough to predict how he would “shatter Klitschko’s glass jaw,” the 39-year-old will now have to push his body through a second grueling training camp.
According to a report on ESPN.com, the IBF will have to approve the planned new date of March 3rd, seeing as how Klitschko would be requested to make a mandatory defence of that organisation’s world title on that date. So, there is a chance – as was the case with Wladimir’s twice-planned voluntary defence against Britain’s Dereck Chicora – that the Mormeck fight will not happen at all.
Obviously, all of France will be hoping otherwise. Interestingly enough, March 3rd is the date that has been penciled in for older brother and reigning WBC champ Vitali’s next fight – with David Haye currently looking over a contract for the fight. Could both Klitschkos appear on what would be a massive doubleheader in Germany next March?