Wladimir Klitschko takes up rematch with Tyson Fury

Wladimir Klitschko has announced he will take up his option for a rematch against new world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

The Ukrainian lost to Fury on points in Dusseldorf on Saturday night, ending a nine-year reign.

But the 39-year-old has announced on Instagram he is ready to take on Fury again in the new year.

“I have a pre-Christmas gift for Tyson Fury and all boxing fans around the world,” Klitschko said in a video message on Instagram.

“I’ll be making use of my contractual option for a re-match against Fury. So to say, the fight of 2016 is in the making.”

Peter Fury, the champion’s trainer and uncle, welcomed Klitschko’s declaration.

“I think it’s fantastic news. We’re absolutely ecstatic,” Peter Fury said on Sky Sports News. These are the two best heavyweights in the world, bar none, and it’s nice to see them clashing again.

“We weren’t expecting an answer before January. To know now the fight’s going to be on, we’re really excited and very happy.” Klitschko believes he drastically under-performed in Dusseldorf and has plenty of scope for improving his performance second time around.

But Peter Fury said: “Tyson had a lot more to give as well. I think it’s going to be great for both guys, because I said after the fight that Tyson only performed only about 60-65 per cent of his potential, so I’m looking forward to getting the fight on and letting Tyson do 100 per cent of what we know we can do.

“I see the outcome being no different.” Identifying a venue will be one of the key steps in putting the fight on, and Peter Fury said: “We’re looking at possibly getting it at Wembley Stadium next year.”

Meanwhile Ireland’s Steven Donnelly was revealed how he considered throwing in the towel on his elite amateur boxing career until he received the call that confirmed his qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games The 27-year-old Ballymena this week had secured a place in Brazil through the World Series of Boxing (WSB).

Andrey Zamkovoy’s win over Radzhab Butaev in the Russian elite 69kg final in Samara last Sunday opened the door for Donnelly.

Butaev and Zamkovoy both earned Olympic quota places for Rio 2016 through the World Series of Boxing (WSB) and AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) in the welter class but Russia can only sent one welter to Rio, and Zamkovoy’s win decided the issue and bumped Donnelly up into the top two in the WSB — enough to qualify.

Donnelly, 27, won five of his six fights for the Hussars of Poland in the WSB last season and missed one fight in Azerbaijan because of visa issues.

He now joins his Irish team-mates Michael Conlan, Paddy Barnes and Joe Ward on the plane to South America.

“I was ready to quit, but just like that (qualifying for Rio) the motivation is back. I deserved it, I worked hard. It’s all about preparation now until Rio, getting the rounds in,” said the All Saints BC Olympian.

“Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan, Barry McGuigan, Carl Frampton, Matthew Macklin, they’ve all been congratulating me. It’s just a great story.

“Boxing at the Olympics is what I dreamed off since I started as a kid. I’ll be going for gold in Rio. You have to believe in yourself.” Irish boxing will now be aiming for a further nine places, six for men, three for women, in the Olympic qualifiers in 2016.

The road to those qualifiers begin at the National Elite Championships which resume at Dublin’s National Stadium tomorrow night.