Tyson Fury target weight for Oleksandr Usyk rematch revealed as Brit aims to come in considerably heavier
talkSPORT understands that Tyson Fury will be considerably heavier for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. ‘The Gypsy King’ fell to the first defeat of his professional career when he squared off with Usyk in May and they are now set to run it back on December 21. Usyk beat Fury via split decision in MayGetty Fury believes he lost their inaugural encounter by ‘taunting too much’ and has promised a far more aggressive approach to the rematch. In order to achieve that, the Mancunian is piling on the timber and looks very bulky in recent images from his camp. According to talkSPORT boxing pundit Gareth A Davies, Fury is aiming to come in around the 19 stone 7lbs mark (273lbs) – almost a stone heavier than he was for their first fight (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,” said Davies on talkSPORT Fight Night on Saturday evening. “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.” Fury stepped on the scales at 18st 4.5lbs (256.5lbs) for his first meeting with Deontay Wilder in 2018 and boxed to a draw off the back foot in a fight that saw him taste the canvas on two occasions. When they fought again 18 months later, Fury packed on 17lbs (273lbs/19st 7lbs) to pile on the pressure and return the favour by decking Wilder twice en route to a seventh-round stoppage win. Fury then came in another 4lbs heavier (277lbs/19st 11lbs) for the trilogy and fought through early adversity to knock Wilder out in round ten. Upping his weight and applying more front-foot pressure is a tried and tested adjustment that worked well for Fury against Wilder. Instagram - Tyson Fury Fury is aiming to gain 11lbs for his rematch with Usyk and looks bigger in pictures[/caption] However, former three-weight world champion Duke McKenzie insists this gameplan will play right into Usyk’s hands. “He [Fury] doesn’t live, eat, walk, talk the sport but you’re supposed to,” McKenzie told talkSPORT’s talkBOXING Podcast. “In-between fights is where fights are won and lost. We know Fury blows up, puts on a load of weight between fights and then he has got to get rid of all that weight again. “Now, they’re trying to tell us that Fury is going to be bigger and better. “Bigger and better isn’t going to beat Usyk. It’s really not. “If he puts on more weight and thinks to himself ‘I’m going to bully Usyk this time, I’m going to go in and walk him down, I’ll be able to take his shots because I’m that much bigger’, it’s not going to work for him. Fury weighed 262lbs (18 st 10lbs) for their first fightGETTY “He’s going to be slower, he’s going to be more predictable, he’s going to get hit more and a lot sooner. “Usyk wins the rematch all day long, I can’t see how Tyson Fury beats him. He’s not going to knock Usyk out.”
talkSPORT understands that Tyson Fury will be considerably heavier for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
‘The Gypsy King’ fell to the first defeat of his professional career when he squared off with Usyk in May and they are now set to run it back on December 21.
Fury believes he lost their inaugural encounter by ‘taunting too much’ and has promised a far more aggressive approach to the rematch.
In order to achieve that, the Mancunian is piling on the timber and looks very bulky in recent images from his camp.
According to talkSPORT boxing pundit Gareth A Davies, Fury is aiming to come in around the 19 stone 7lbs mark (273lbs) – almost a stone heavier than he was for their first fight (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,” said Davies on talkSPORT Fight Night on Saturday evening.
“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.”
Fury stepped on the scales at 18st 4.5lbs (256.5lbs) for his first meeting with Deontay Wilder in 2018 and boxed to a draw off the back foot in a fight that saw him taste the canvas on two occasions.
When they fought again 18 months later, Fury packed on 17lbs (273lbs/19st 7lbs) to pile on the pressure and return the favour by decking Wilder twice en route to a seventh-round stoppage win.
Fury then came in another 4lbs heavier (277lbs/19st 11lbs) for the trilogy and fought through early adversity to knock Wilder out in round ten.
Upping his weight and applying more front-foot pressure is a tried and tested adjustment that worked well for Fury against Wilder.
However, former three-weight world champion Duke McKenzie insists this gameplan will play right into Usyk’s hands.
“He [Fury] doesn’t live, eat, walk, talk the sport but you’re supposed to,” McKenzie told talkSPORT’s talkBOXING Podcast.
“In-between fights is where fights are won and lost. We know Fury blows up, puts on a load of weight between fights and then he has got to get rid of all that weight again.
“Now, they’re trying to tell us that Fury is going to be bigger and better.
“Bigger and better isn’t going to beat Usyk. It’s really not.
“If he puts on more weight and thinks to himself ‘I’m going to bully Usyk this time, I’m going to go in and walk him down, I’ll be able to take his shots because I’m that much bigger’, it’s not going to work for him.
“He’s going to be slower, he’s going to be more predictable, he’s going to get hit more and a lot sooner.
“Usyk wins the rematch all day long, I can’t see how Tyson Fury beats him. He’s not going to knock Usyk out.”
