Tyson Fury is expected to come into his rematch with WBA, WBC, and WBO heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk on December 21st heavier than their previous fight earlier this in May.
Fury Bulking Up
According to boxing insider Gareth A. Davies, the former WBC champ Fury will come into the rematch with Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) weighing 273 lbs, which is 11 lbs heavier than the 262 that the ‘Gypsy King’ weighed in their first encounter on May 18th.
The idea is that Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) will replicate his success in second and third fights against Deontay Wilder. However, Usyk is a more talented fighter than Wilder, who allowed Fury to hold, lean, and rough him up to defeat him twice.
You can understand why Fury would want to come in heavier because it’s his only chance. If he comes in lighter, his punches won’t possess enough power on them to give Usyk any trouble.
Fury did stun the two-time undisputed champion Usyk in some trouble in round six when he hit him to the body with an uppercut, followed by a headshot that backed him up. However, he regained his wits and continued pressuring Fury, landing pinpoint headshots to dominate.
“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 [273 lbs],” said Gareth A. Davies to talkSport Boxing about what Tyson Fury’s weight will be for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in 20 days on December 21st.
Stamina Drain?
Fury’s extra weight could slow him down, making him sluggish and easy to hit. Moreover, the chances are that Usyk will wear Fury down and knock him out in the later rounds. The way that the 36-year-old Tyson has been letting himself go physically in between fights, putting on the pounds from eating rich foods will haunt him in this fight just as it did in the previous one.
The Gypsy King is an eater and doesn’t believe in denying himself the sustenance of good food and enjoying his huge $140 million fortune, which will increase to well over $200 million with his rematch against Usyk.
With all the money, Fury isn’t about to deny himself all the pleasures of sitting on the mountain of dough. Like anyone, he’s going to eat like mad, but there’s a cost that he has to pay, and we’ll likely see that on December 21st.
You can argue that Fury is semi-retired and has been since 2022, but he hasn’t sold anybody. When he chose to defend his then WBC title against journeyman Dereck Chisora, who had lost three out of his last four fights, it signaled that Fury was on a retirement tour. He then struggled against 0-0 novice Francis Ngannou, appearing to lose, but given a gift 10-round split decision. After those two fights, Tyson’s loss to Usyk was utterly predictable.