Tyson Fury's true condition will be revealed at Friday's weigh-in
Tyson Fury is expected to be at his lowest weight in nine years , how he gained muscle mass in his fight for the undisputed heavyweight title with Alexander Usik on Saturday night.
Telegraph Sport understands Fury, 35, will weigh between “18 to 19 stone”. for his undisputed heavyweight bout in Riyadh against Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night. That would be his lowest since he weighed in at 247 pounds (17.6) when he first became heavyweight champion after defeating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
This week his opponent is Oleksandr Usyk has called the Gypsy king “skinny” after he arrived in Saudi Arabia with a thinner physique that impressed the last undisputed king, Lennox Lewis.
“You can see that Fury took this and Usyk seriously; that he is ready for this. The shape he's in makes me think he'll be fast and agile. I like the way he looks,” Lewis told Telegraph Sport yesterday.
“It's about speed,” added promoter Frank Warren over lunch in central Riyadh. George Warren, his son, who was instrumental behind the scenes in working with the Saudis, added: “Tyson has a game plan. He looks good. He lives clean and obviously works out hard. He looks as good as he did when he fought Deontay Wilder 2. All of this points to him being on. He has a mission.”
Fury’s thinner physique raised eyebrows. Photo: PA/Nick Potts
In-depth work has been done behind the scenes, says Christian Blacklock, Fury's strength and conditioning coach for the past eight years.
“Tyson is more fully muscular than on the original February date, we had a long period of working closely with him and physically it showed,” Blacklock explained.
“He eats a strict diet under the guidance of his nutritionist Greg Marriott since November last year and his form is also due to this. Physically, in his strength work, he set new records in this camp. His weight will be somewhere between 18 and 19 stone, depending on how hydrated he is on the day.
“This will be the strongest Tyson Fury we've had, compared to Klitschko [De 2015] and Wilder 2 [February 2020] … a happy, healthy, dangerous fighter.”
At the gala event in Tuesday Usyk and his team called Fury “nervous” and “thin”, due to the intrigue surrounding the thinner Gypsy King. The physique down has increased ahead of the fight for the greatest prize in the sport.
Fury certainly looks long and lean, with a sharp jawline, and although he weighs less than in previous fights, the Brit will still likely be around two stone (30lb) heavier than his opponent. Fury's condition raises questions about his game plan and it is likely to be a long battle. “Skinny?” – Fury responded to Usik’s mockery when asked in an interview. “I'm 19-odd stone.”
Fury has lost weight after an intense training camp. Photo: PA/Nick Potts
Fury's form may hint at a strategy to outbox Usyk and want a long fight, but members of Fury's camp told Telegraph Sport they believe the 35-year-old will stop Usyk.
It's all part of the build-up to fight week, which will see debate and discussion surrounding the two undefeated fighters. Fury's father and coach, John Fury, may have missed the game plan by revealing the numbers his son will be competing in. In an interview with IFL TV, Fury Snr said Tyson is “at the easiest stage of his career, he looks good and mean, you'll see that on Saturday night.” The Gypsy King will remain the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.” Fury Sr added: “You can see that Tyson is in great shape. We left no stone unturned, he polished and worked his ass off. I'm just thinking to myself that Usyk has to bring something we haven't seen before – I've seen him fight AJ [Anthony Joshua] twice, I've watched every single one of his heavyweight fights – that can't beat Gypsy . King. Not in this form, not with this attitude.”
The minimum Fury weighed for the fight was 245.5 pounds (17.5) against Vinny Maddalone in July 2012, but it is unlikely that Fury will actually make the weight. Those lows came at the Friday/evening weigh-ins: 273 pounds (19.5th place) and 277 pounds (19.7th place) for the second and third fights with Wilder.
Alex Krasyuk , Usik's promoter, said Fury's weight loss was a result of “nerves.” “When a man is nervous, he loses weight. It's a mental disorder because you don't sleep well, eat poorly, and don't rest well. That's why you lose weight.”
With Usyk, 37, weighing in at 220.9 pounds (100 kg) in his last fight against Daniel Dubois last August, Fury will weigh in by far the heavier of the two. main characters, but tomorrow's [Friday] moment on the scales will be exciting.
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