Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko told of an unprecedented fuss over the fight with Briton Anthony Joshua, which will be held April 29 at Wembley Stadium in London.
"We unambiguously underestimated the interest in this duel. When in December, in a few minutes, the first batch was sold, which consisted of 40 thousand tickets, we began to understand what the actual demand for this fight. The second batch of 40,000 tickets was also sold record high. Given that Wembley is a municipal stadium, already at the level of the mayor of London, it was decided to increase the capacity of the arena during our and Anthony's battle for another 10,000 seats, "he said in an interview with Novoye Vremya.
Also, the boxer said that he was happy to remain an active boxer at his age.
"For me, every fight was like the last one. If someone told me 20 years ago that I would be in the ring at age 41, I would not have believed him. And it's wonderful, because not everyone can be an active boxer at that age, "Klitschko said..
He admitted that for him the upcoming fight with Joshua is one of the most pleasant bonuses in his proffessional boxing career.
"Very rarely, such bonuses drop out to the boxer who lost the previous fight. I get the opportunity to fight for several champion titles. In an even larger arena than the stadium in Dusseldorf (the arena in which the battle with Tyson Fury took place, accommodates 51.5 thousand spectators - Ed..
In total, Klitschko spent eight fights in the stadiums.
"I meet with an athlete who is on a phenomenal rise in his professional career. With Fury we would not have received Wembley - he would not have been allowed to go there.
"Anyone, but not Fury," - so unequivocally stated the leadership of the stadium last year, when we were considering the possibility of holding a rematch in London, "- said the Ukrainian boxer.
He noted that he sees the fight with the British as a challenge and accepts it with a great desire.
Recall, April 29 at the London arena, "Wembley" will fight Klitschko junior with the British Anthony Joshua. At stake will be the champion titles WBA Super, IBO and IBF. It is noteworthy that ex-world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury called Klitschko the favorite of the fight against his compatriot.