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World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has been hospitalized in Germany with abdominal pain, just one week out from his December 10 fight with Jean Marc Mormeck in Düsseldorf.
Manager Bernd Boente says the fight is still on, at least for now:
"The fight isn’t called off yet. Wladimir is doing well. There will be further examinations on Saturday, but we’re assuming that the fight will be able to take place."
Klitschko (56-3, 49 KO) and Mormeck (36-4, 22 KO) have generated almost no buzz for this fight whatsoever, as it has just not been a topic of conversation other than folks calling it out as a gross mismatch, and that means fighters, media people, and boxing fans from all over the place. It's an awful fight.
I'm not trying to imply that Klitschko is coming up with an excuse to bail on the fight, either -- just saying that if we lose this one, well, OK. Would anyone really be that upset unless they had a ticket and it was part of their birthday party or a Christmas present or something?
Hopefully Wladimir is OK, and right now it sounds like nothing serious. If the fight goes ahead next Saturday, we'll be watching despite any protests.