Tyson Fury will have to make a noticeable change to his appearance before stepping into the ring with Oleksandr Usyk or face falling foul of boxing regulations.
The self-proclaimed 'Gypsy King' will take on Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC, WBA and WBO titles in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 21.
Earlier this year, Fury was accused of not taking his training camp seriously in the build-up to his heavyweight title defeat against Usyk, which was the first loss of his professional career.
"He wasn’t fit for that fight," said former Irish fighter John Egan. "I don’t care what anybody says. He didn’t prepare properly for that fight. His training camp was broken up."
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On this occasion, however, nobody can refute his commitment. In fact, Fury has not spoken to wife Paris for three months because he's been in "beast mode" ahead of fight night.
"I haven't spoken to anyone, not been on my phone, I've been away from it all. I just wanted to give myself the best opportunity I can," he told TNT Sports.
“I don't want to keep dividing modes from beast mode, to Dad mode, wife mode, I've not spoken to anybody on the phone, that's it. I've just been in the camp the whole time."
Fury is determined to have his hand raised on Saturday night and has been focused on working at his game. In fact, he hasn't touched anywhere from the eyeballs down when it comes to grooming.
The 36-year-old recently told reporters that he had no plans to trim or shave his beard until after the rematch with Usyk.
But despite being reluctant to get rid of the lengthy facial hair, his new beard will need to be tamed on Saturday as regulations state that boxers need to have their jawline visible for safety reasons.
As per the WBC rulebook, boxers must be shaved, without a beard before the medical examination (only a thin mustache not exceeding the length of the upper lip will be allowed).
It feels like we'll see a different Tyson Fury on Saturday night. In a recent interview, he promised to reduce his showboating in the rematch with Usyk.
"I need to be more focused this time and not do as much showboating," he said. "I don't believe the showboating cost me the fight but I need to be more focused this time and not do as much."
Who will come out on top? Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Boxing, Boxing News
Jack Kenmare