Tyson Fury will pull the plug on Saturday night's world heavyweight spectacular here if he is denied his preferred boxing gloves.
A dispute over the hand-wear will go to the brink at the pre-fight rules meeting on Friday afternoon with Fury saying: 'If they don't produce the gloves I have picked the fight is off. Simple as that.
'Unless, of course, he wants to fight bare-knuckle, gypsy style!'
The problem developed after long-time champion Wladimir Klitschko demanded a clause in the contract giving him the right to choose his usual German-made gloves for both fighters.
Fury explains: 'The first pair they sent me had huge thumbs which were terrible for my style of punching. From my height (6ft 9in) I hit down at my opponent's head and as soon as I tried them I almost dislocated my thumb. In the fight I would have broken my thumbs.
'We complained so they sent a sample of a different design. They were fine and I agreed to use them. That was two weeks ago but now they are saying the manufacturers may not be able to make a proper pair in time.
'We're still waiting. If they are not here in time – no fight.'
The gloves to be worn in world championship bouts are checked after the weigh-in on the eve of the fight and then kept sealed by the supervisors.
Fury says: 'We didn't make one single demand. We accepted all their terms. I like to wear Reyes gloves, which suit punchers like me who want to inflict maximum damage. These German gloves are for defensive boxers like him.'
All gloves, including these German Paffens, should be tailor-made to fit the hands of each boxer perfectly.
Ready-made pairs are available on line at £46.66 so two weeks should be plenty of time to make a bespoke pair for Fury, who says: 'If this is the Klitschko camp playing their usual games to prevent mine being delivered it will back-fire because I won't fight.
'We've agreed to everything. The fight in their country. The size of the ring. Everything. But they cannot ask a man to fight in gloves in which he's is uncomfortable.'
Fury has no qualms about pulling out of the biggest fight of his life even though it has been postponed once already and he admits that he once feared it might never happen.
Fury is toning down his flamboyant promotional antics now fight week is upon him, reiterating: 'I don't want to burn up too much nervous energy. Also I want to show them that I am calm and will not be bothered by the huge crowd (55,000) the atmosphere, the music, the fireworks or anything else in what they keep calling the magnitude of the occasion in this football stadium here.'
But he is planning his trademark celebration if the fight does go ahead and he pulls off his major upset of the long-reigning world champion – belting out a song in the ring.
'Although I've had a lot of requests I haven't picked the tune yet,' he says. 'I hear there's a lot of betting on which song. It's even 4-1 with the bookies whether I will sing at the final press conference this week. So it must be on the minds of a lot of people'
He is also preparing a novel means of occupying his own mind if Klitschko keeps him waiting before coming second into the ring on Saturday.
'If that happens,' he says, 'we will be doing some work hitting the pads rather than just standing out there. Not just to distract me. Boxing is also about entertaining the fans so I'll give them something different to watch.'
None of this, not even the gloves problem, detracts from the admiration for Klitschko which he is expressing now despite his earlier promotional rants and stunts.
'Of course I respect Wladimir,' he says. 'He has been the world heavyweight champion for 11 years. That's a great achievement. If I beat him and have even a third of his defences (19 consecutive successes in his 28 world title fights) that would be a great achievement for me.'
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