Tyson Fury is expected to enter his December 21 rematch with WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk heavier than their previous fight earlier in May.
Fury Bulking Up
According to boxing insider Garrett A. Davies, former WBC champion Fury will enter the rematch with Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) at 273 lbs, which is 11 lbs heavier than the 262 that ‘The Gypsy King’ weighed in their first meeting on May 18th.
The idea is for Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) to repeat his success in the 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 beat him twice.
You can understand why Fury would want to get into the heavyweight division, as it’s his only chance. If he comes in lighter, his punches won’t have enough power to give Usika trouble.
Fury stunned two-time undisputed champion Usyk into some trouble in the sixth round when he landed an uppercut to the body, followed by a head kick that backed him up. However, he regained his composure and continued to pressure Fury, landing accurate shots to the head to dominate.
“I’ve been told internally by his camp that where they intend to be for Usyk in this fight is 19 and a half stone (273lbs),” said Gareth A. Davies 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, there is a good chance that Usyk will wear Fury down and knock him out in the later rounds. The way the 36-year-old Tyson indulged physically between fights, piling on the pounds from eating rich food, will haunt him in this fight, just as it did in the last.
Gypsy King is a glutton and doesn’t believe in depriving himself of good food and enjoys his massive fortune of $140 million, which will increase to over $200 million with his rematch against Usyk.
With all the money, Fury won’t deny himself all the pleasures of sitting on a mountain of dough. Like everyone, he will eat like crazy, but he has to pay the cost, and we will probably see that on December 21st.
You can argue that Fury is semi-retired and has been since 2022, but he hasn’t sold anyone. When he decided to defend his then WBC title against journeyman Derek Chisora, who had lost three of his last four fights, it signaled Fury’s retirement on the tour. He then fought 0-0 rookie Francis Ngannou, appearing to lose, but was gifted a 10-round split decision. After those two fights, Tyson’s loss to Usyk was completely predictable.