By Jake Donovan





With the announcement of the February 28 show at London's O 2 Arena followed by tickets going on sale, Tyson Fury now has a dance partner to go along with the event. The unbeaten heavyweight contender will face Christian Hammer in the evening's headliner.





Both sides have agreed to all terms, with contracts to be signed after the holiday season. By then, an opponent is also expected to be announced for second-generation middleweight Chris Eubank Jr., who appears in the evening's chief support.





An opponent of any kind is a risk for Fury (23-0, 17KOs), who has in his back pocket a mandatory title challenge versus World heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko. The hulking Brit earned the opportunity following a career-best performance, stopping Dereck Chisora in the 10th round of their highly publicized rematch in November.





“I’ve said all along I’m not like these other fighters in the division who pussy foot around, take soft touches and call themselves fighters,” said Fury. “I could have taken an easy job at the O 2 Arena to keep my position safe for my world title fight against Klitschko, but that’s not what Tyson Fury is about or what the public want to see from someone who has promised from day one to win the world heavyweight title.”





Hammer (17-3, 10KOs) enters having won 10 straight, including a 12-round shutout over previously unbeaten Irineu Beato Costa Jr this past October. The showdown with Fury will mark his first trip outside his adopted homeland in Germany.





The career turnaround comes after having sputtered out to a 7-3 start through his first two years as a pro, including a knockout loss to eventual heavyweight contender Mariusz Wach. The past four years have seen wins over Danny Williams, Kevin Johnson and Konstantin Alrich, with the pasting of Costa Jr. showing Hammer's ability to box as well as well as he can trade.

“On paper it’s a dangerous job against Hammer," Fury acknowledges, if only to further motivate himself. "[H]e’s highly ranked, he brings a big punch with him, he’ll have ambitions of his own to beat me and grab himself a world title shot against Klitschko and I’m sure he’ll be full of confidence coming over here.”

Fury plans to enter training camp shortly after the holidays, at which point the fight should be officially signed.





“My focus will be on Hammer now, he’s my priority and the man in the way of my dream," Fury said. “There’s no messing about in the heavyweight division, one punch can turn everything upside down, that goes for him and for me, but I’ve got two things that other fighters lack, a fighting heart and massive balls. I love to fight, if I go down I get up and win, that’s why people love me and want to see me fight. Tyson Fury will never lose, simple.”

His opponent has a different perspective on the fight.





“I’m grateful for this fantastic opportunity to fight Tyson Fury and I’ll be in the best shape of my life,” Hammer promises. “This is a golden opportunity for me to get the number one position to fight Klitschko for the world title if I can beat Fury. I love to fight bigger, taller, men and Fury is perfect for me.





"It will be a hard fight, but I’ve got every confidence that I’ll surprise everyone with a win in his backyard.”

That type of confidence is precisely what promoter Frank Warren sought in looking to secure an opponent for Fury. The promise of a “Top 15 contender” was included in his initial announcement. Hammer is rated #4 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), for whom Fury is the mandatory challenger.





“Fury will have his hands full with Hammer who could create a huge shock if he wins,” points out Warren. “It’s a risky fight for Fury who’s within touching distance of Klitschko and the world title, but Fury needs to keep active by fighting until Klitschko gets his fight in April out of the way and then comes to the table to negotiate the fight with Fury or the fight goes to purse bids. Fury needs to concentrate on Hammer and leave the talk of Klitschko after he’s dealt with Hammer.”





Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox