Adding weight has served Tyson Fury well in each of his last two fights.
The unbeaten WBC heavyweight champion came in at 273 pounds for his rematch with Deontay Wilder in February 2020, an advantageous 16½ pounds more than when their 12-round fight resulted in a debatable draw in December 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Fury was even heavier, a career-high 277 pounds, for their third fight, which he won by 11th-round knockout October 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Having experienced the positive effects from additional weight, the 6-foot-9 Fury promised to come in heavier than 277 pounds for his domestic showdown with Dillian Whyte on April 23 at Wembley Stadium in London.
“I’m gonna try and come in at me heaviest weight of all time,” Fury stated during a press conference recently. “For the biggest fight and the biggest crowd, you’re gonna see the biggest Tyson Fury. I’m gonna come in like a man mountain.”
Frank Warren, Fury’s co-promoter, announced that 85,000 tickets were sold to the card headlined by Fury-Whyte within the first three hours of going on sale. A capacity crowd of nearly 100,000 is expected to watch Fury’s first fight in England since he stopped overmatched Sefer Seferi in June 2018 in Manchester, Fury’s hometown.
The 33-year-old Fury figures to out-weigh Whyte by at least 20 pounds when Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs) finally gets his mandated shot at the WBC belt Fury will defend for the second time.
The 6-foot-4 Whyte weighed in at 247¼ pounds for his rematch against Alexander Povetkin, the former WBA champion who Whyte stopped in the fourth round last March 27 at Europa Point Sports Complex in Gibraltar. At his heaviest, the 34-year-old Whyte was 271 pounds for a 10-round, unanimous-decision victory over 6-foot-7 Polish contender Mariusz Wach in December 2019 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
“What was me biggest weight?,” Fury asked reporters. “Can anyone tell me? I think it was like 19 stone, 11 [pounds], was it? Nineteen stone, 10 [pounds]. I’m gonna come in heavier than 19 stone, 10 [pounds]. I’m gonna be the heaviest world champion ever.”
Retired Russian giant Nikolai Valuev weighed more than any heavyweight champion in boxing history. The 7-foot Valuev weighed 324 pounds when he out-pointed John Ruiz unanimously in their 12-round bout to win the WBA world title in December 2005 at Max Schmeling Hall in Berlin.
–boxingscene.com
