Tyson Fury appeared to purposely 'trick' everyone at the weigh-in ahead of his fight with Oleksandr Usyk - and it has got fans talking.
Usyk, 37, and Fury, 36, weighed in at Wonder Garden on Friday evening ahead of their rematch on Saturday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The heavyweights went toe-to-toe to become the undisputed champion back in May 2024.
On that occasion, Usyk edged a thrilling fight and was awarded a majority decision victory, having almost finished Fury with a relentless barrage of shots in round nine - causing referee Mark Nelson to issue Fury a standing count after he was kept up by the ropes.
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The ‘Gypsy King’ recovered, but Usyk controlled the second half of the fight.
In many ways, Saturday will be a first for the Manchester-born heavyweight as he has never previously walked to the ring as a professional, knowing the man stood in the opposite corner has defeated him.
For Usyk, he will be hoping for much of the same, with Fury possibly changing tactics, having already admitted that he will tone down his showboating.
“I don't believe the showboating cost me the fight, but I need to be more focused this time and not do as much,” he said earlier this week.
Before May’s encounter, Fury weighed in at 18st 7lb (262lb), his lightest for over four years, while Usyk came in at 16st (224lb).
During Friday’s weigh-in, fans were keen to catch a glimpse of both competitors’ physiques.
This time around, Fury weighed in at 20st 1lb (281lb).
Usyk weighed in at a career-heaviest 16st 2lb (226lb) - two pounds more than in May.
Although this was the heaviest Fury has ever weighed ahead of a fight, he appeared to be wearing multiple layers of clothing seemingly giving a 'false' reading compared to if he would've stripped off like most fighters do.
Usyk also opted to stay fully clothed in his purple tracksuit with a heavy necklace hanging from his neck, which could have influenced his weight.
Fans gave their thoughts on social media.
One said: "I feel as of he’s a lot lighter…"
Another added: "He’s wearing clothes, without clothes he probably is weighing around 277 which is about what he weighed in the wilder rematch."
A third commented: "281 lbs is crazy."
While a fourth exclaimed: "[Weight] doesn’t matter skill pays the bills."
The pair came face-to-face shortly after but in contrast to yesterday's 11-minute face-off they both swiftly turned away.
How to watch Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk
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To watch Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk go head to head, there are three options:
1.) You can watch the rematch on DAZN with no subscription required. All you need to do is buy the PPV for £24.99 and you will automatically get a seven-day free trial which you can later cancel to stop the subscription from rolling over. You’ll be able to stream the match on a range of devices including PlayStation, Chromecast, and Smart TV. If you do decide to roll over your free trial, you’ll move onto a monthly plan costing £24.99 per month and get access to over 150 fights every year, with the option to cancel with 30 days’ notice.
2.) You can also tune in live on Sky Sports Box Office (Sky channel 491). The event is priced at £24.95 for Sky customers in the UK and $27.95 if you’re based in the Republic of Ireland. Sadly Sky does not offer free trials, but Sky subscribers can book the match here and if you’re new to Sky, you can sign up here.
3.) Finally, you can watch the fight on TNT Sports with a Prime Video subscription (free for the first month then £8.99/ month), provided you have discovery+ (from £3.99/ month) as part of your subscription. If you don't fancy shelling out, you can simply cancel your subscription after the first month.
Topics: Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Boxing, Saudi Arabia
Luke Davies