RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Tyson Fury delivered a lackluster efficiency vs. Francis Ngannou in October, however “The Gypsy King” appeared in much better form throughout Friday’s weigh-in at 262 kilos forward of his undisputed heavyweight championship battle vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
England’s Fury was 277.5 kilos when he was floored by the previous UFC heavyweight champion, a split-decision victory in a non-title bout. Fury’s 262 kilos are his lowest since he defeated Otto Wall in September 2019 at 254 kilos.
Usyk, in the meantime, weighed a career-high 233.5 kilos. His earlier excessive was 221.5 kilos when he defeated Anthony Joshua within the August 2022 rematch. They have been each shirtless and sporting pants (there isn’t any weight restrict for heavyweights in boxing.)
After the fighters tipped the scales, Fury and Usyk engaged in a heated shoving match on the stage on the outside BLVD Metropolis in Saudi Arabia’s capital.
“I am able to rock and roll,” Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) mentioned. “Fireworks tomorrow night time. I’ll knock that f—er spark out. I am coming for his coronary heart. That is what I am coming for. F— his belts. I am coming for his f—ing coronary heart.”
Saturday’s assembly (midday ET, ESPN+ pay-per-view) options ESPN’s prime two heavyweights (Fury is No. 1) and in addition two of the ten finest pound-for-pound boxers on the earth. Fury is No. 10 on ESPN’s listing; Usyk, an Olympic gold medalist, is No. 3.
The previous undisputed cruiserweight champion cleaned out the 200-pound weight class after which went on to gather the WBA, WBO and IBF titles with a pair of wins over Joshua.
Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), 37, might be competing at heavyweight for the sixth time. He is coming off a ninth-round KO victory over Daniel Dubois in August.
“Do not be afraid,” Usyk mentioned he informed Fury, 35, throughout their faceoff. “I can’t depart you alone tomorrow.”
Usyk, who lives in war-torn Ukraine, mentioned he is capable of keep calm within the face of Fury’s antics as a result of “if I might be nervous, I can’t win.” All through the promotion — the battle was initially scheduled for Feb. 17 earlier than Fury suffered a extreme minimize in sparring — Usyk has laughed off Fury’s makes an attempt at thoughts video games.
On Saturday, Usyk will face a far more durable activity: handing Fury his first loss. Usyk has defeated elite large males earlier than, corresponding to Joshua, however by no means somebody with the scale and talent of Fury. Fury is listed at 6-foot-9 with an 85-inch attain. He is additionally capable of field from each the southpaw and orthodox stances.
Usyk, a southpaw, is 6-foot-3 with a 78-inch attain. That is the primary undisputed heavyweight championship battle since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in November 1999. Each have been within the entrance row on the weigh-in, alongside heavyweight greats Evander Holyfield and Wladimir Klitschko, whose brother Vitali is the mayor of Kyiv.
Fury will put his WBC and lineal championship on the road. Fury has been boxing’s heavyweight lineal champion since he upset Klitschko in 2015.