Tyson Fury during a weigh-in at BLVD City Music World, Riyadh. The IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk will take place on Saturday 18th May. Picture date: Friday May 17, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story BOXING Riyadh. Photo credit should read: Nick Potts/PA Wire.RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder. (Image: PA)
Tyson Fury, the two-time heavyweight champion, is reportedly planning to increase his weight for his much-anticipated rematch with Oleksandr Usyk later this month. The ‘Gypsy King’ suffered his first professional defeat earlier this year in a closely contested match against the Ukrainian.
The pair are set to clash again on December 21, with Fury seeking to overturn his previous loss. In their initial bout, the British boxer had several successful moments but lost momentum in the ninth round when Usyk nearly knocked him out.
For the remainder of the fight, the 37 year old Ukrainian dominated and ultimately secured a historic win. As both fighters prepare for their rematch, talkSPORT boxing pundit Gareth A Davies suggests that Fury plans to weigh in at around 19 stone 7lbs (273lbs), almost a stone heavier than his weight during their first encounter (18 st 10lbs/262lbs).
“When Tyson beat Klitschko nine years ago he was a 27-year-old, very light on his feet, he bamboozled opponents with those telescopic arms, his movement and tying fighters up,” Davies revealed. “That version went away in the three fights with Deontay Wilder, certainly the second and third fights where he became a bigger hitter at 19 and a half stone. I’m told internally from his camp that is where they intend him to be for Usyk in this fight, 19 and a half stone.”
Despite Fury claiming he was in peak condition in May, he has recently suggested that he will gain weight for the rematch with Usyk. Sharing a photo of himself before his defeat to Usyk, Fury captioned it: “Was in the shape of my life, but this is not the Gypsy King.”
He followed this with an image from a previous bout, captioning it: “This is him, 19st11lb, bruiser.”
If he matches that weight in December, Fury would have gained 15lb since his loss to Usyk, potentially giving him a 50lb weight advantage over his opponent.
From his recent comments, it appears Fury is committed to his strategy of knocking out the Ukrainian. “I’m going to go in there with destroy mode,” Fury declared in an interview with Undisputed.
“Last time I went to box him, I was being cautious… Anybody can get caught as we have seen in a lot of these heavyweight fights.
“But this time I’m not going for a points decision. I’m going to knock that motherf***er out. For the first time in years, I’m going in there as a challenger, not a champion,” Fury explained emphatically. “And I believe that I’m better as a challenger, always, because I’ve got that goal of achieving something and it’s giving me a fire underneath.”