Tyson Fury has been labelled “nervous” and “skinny” by Oleksandr Usyk and his team as the intrigue around the Gypsy King’s slimmed-down physique increases before their bout on Sunday (NZT).
Fury certainly looks long and lean with a sharp jawline and could come in at a much lighter weight than in previous fights, yet the Briton is still likely to be about 30lbs (14kg) heavier than his rival. Fury’s conditioning raises questions about his game plan, with a long battle most likely.
“Skinny?” responded Fury to Usyk’s jibe when asked in an interview. “I’m 19-odd stone.”
Fury’s shape may hint at a strategy of out-boxing Usyk, and looking for a long fight, but members of the Fury camp have told Telegraph Sport that they believe the 35-year-old will stop Usyk. It is all part of fight week build-up, with debate and discussion growing around the two unbeaten fighters.
Fury’s father and coach, John Fury, may have let the game plan slip by revealing the numbers his son will weigh in at. In an interview with IFL TV, Fury Senior said that Tyson is at a “career lightest, he is looking well and mean, you will see on Saturday night (Sunday NZT). The Gypsy King will remain supreme and as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.”
Fury Snr added: “You can see that Tyson is in fabulous shape. We have not left a stone unturned, he has grinded and he has worked his arse off. I just think to myself, that Usyk has got to bring something that we haven’t seen before – I’ve watched him do AJ [Antony Joshua] twice, I have watched every heavyweight fight that he has had – that cannot beat The Gypsy King. Not on this form, not on this mindset.”
The lowest that Fury has weighed for a fight was 245.5lbs (111kg) against Vinny Maddalone in July 2012, but it is unlikely that Fury will actually be that low come Friday’s weigh in, or on the night, having been 273lbs (124kg) and 277lbs (126kg) for his second and third fights with Wilder, as opposed to the 247lbs (112kg) that he came in at against Wladimir Klitschko, when he first claimed the world crown in 2015.
Alex Krassyuk, Usyk’s promoter, claimed that Fury’s weight loss is a result of “nerves”.
“When a man gets nervous, they lose weight. It’s mental disorder because you don’t sleep well, you don’t eat well and you don’t rest well. That’s why you’re losing weight.”
With Usyk, 37, weighing in at 220.9lbs (100kg) for his last fight, against Daniel Dubois last August, Fury is still expected to be the heavier of the two heavyweights. But Friday’s moment on the scales will be fascinating.
