Tyson Fury raged at Oleksandr Usyk in what was a heated final face-off during the weigh-ins ahead of their colossal undisputed heavyweight showdown on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
The Gypsy King, who has been hailed for his incredible body transformation ahead of this bout, weighed in 39lbs (two stone) heavier than his opponent, at 262lbs, with Michael Buffer announcing Usyk had weighed in at 233lbs – the heaviest weight he has recorded in his career. Although there has been some speculation over the Ukrainian’s weight online, after fans overheard officials reading out the figure as 223.19lbs.
But conversely to Thursday’s well-mannered press conference, tempers flared after both fighters had stepped off the scales. The heavyweights squared off and butted heads on stage. A fracas subsequently broke out with Fury appearing to push Usyk away from him, before the pair were pulled away by their respective teams.
After the mele had died down, Fury unleashed a furious tirade to a DAZN reporter, shouting: ‘I’m coming for his heart. F*** his belts, I’m coming for his f***ing heart. I’m going to knock him spark out. F*** all his team, f*** the lot of them! They can all get it if they want to. S***houses!’
The Gypsy King was also asked how he was feeling after the face-off, to which he replied: ‘I’m ready to rock and roll tonight, I’m going to knock this little f***er spark out.’
‼️ Tyson Fury’s explosive final words before the Oleksandr Usyk fight tomorrow night: “I’m coming for his heart, f*** his belts, I’m coming for his f***ing heart. F*** him.”
[🎥 @Queensberry]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 17, 2024
Tempers flared as Tyson Fury (left) and Oleksandr Usyk (right) clashed during their weigh-in
The Gypsy King delivered a furious rant after stepping off the scales, claiming he was ‘going to knock this little f***er spark out,’ in reference to Usyk
Usyk, conversely was much calmer, delivering a final message to Fury ahead of the bout.
Speaking to a reporter the 36-year-old said: ‘Don’t be afraid, I will not leave you alone tomorrow.’
He also revealed the advice his father would have given him ahead of the fight, stating: ‘Son, you can [do it].
‘It’s my plan. If I will be nervous, I will not win.’
‘My fans – I love you! See you tomorrow,’ he added.
Usyk had arrived at the arena first and seemed in an excellent mood as he jumped up and down dancing while he made his way to the stage.
The Manchester-born fighter followed him in next, wearing a pair of navy sweatpants with no top on. He too looked pumped as he punched the air with his hands on the way to the stage.
‼️ If you listen to the close up audio of the #FuryUsyk weigh-in, they actually say 223 for Oleksandr Usyk's weight and not 233.
(📽️ @DAZNBoxing) pic.twitter.com/2fTf6WNSxH
— EverythingBoxing (@EverythingBoxi2) May 17, 2024
The fighters pushed each other apart during the weigh-in before a mele of bodies engulfed the stage
The heavyweights had to be pulled apart by members of their teams after squaring off
Fury also said: ‘I’m coming for his f***ing heart. I’m going to knock him spark out’
Usyk, meanwhile, told his opponent ‘not to be afraid’ and that he was ‘not going to leave him alone on Saturday night’
The Gypsy King weighed in for the fight 29lbs (2 stone) heavier than his opponent at 262lbs
Usyk tells Tyson Fury to not be afraid 👀
Buy #FuryUsyk on TNT Sports Box Office 👉 https://t.co/FXWiFF98Ej#RingofFire | May 18th | #FuryUsyk pic.twitter.com/xnCWcCI9Fd
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) May 17, 2024
Fury and Usyk sat down at a press conference on Thursday in Saudi Arabia, with Fury refusing to face-off against Usyk, folding his arms and staring out towards the audience inside the arena as the Ukrainian stared him down.
When asked why he didn’t face off against Usyk, Fury had told Sky Sports, ‘He’s a scary-looking dude.’
He added: ‘I’m just here to relax now and wait until I get into the ring on Saturday night. All the talking is done, all the interviewing is done. I’m really relaxed and focused.’
Usyk said: ‘Let’s make history. Enough.’
Several of boxing’s legendary fighters were in the audience to watch the weigh in, including Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis, who fought for the undisputed heavyweight title back in 1999.
Ahead of his bout against Francis Ngannou in October last year, Fury had weighed in at 277.7lbs.
Today he came in 44.2lbs lighter than he was ahead of his victory against the former UFC star.
But despite his remarkable transformation, fellow heavyweight fighter Joseph Parker believes the Gypsy King is still a ‘very big man’.
‘He’s just a lot more confident in this fight and that also comes down to his work and the team that he has had in his camp. Sparring is the most important thing heading into this fight,’ the heavyweight told TNT Sports, ahead of the weigh-in.
He added: ‘The advantage for Tyson is his size and reach and I think he has to use that advantage, I know he has lost a lot of weight but he is still a big man.’
Evander Holyfield (left) and Lennox Lewis (right), who fought in the last undisputed heavyweight title fight posed for a photo at the weigh-in
Holyfield (pictured) told Mail Sport that he thinks Usyk will target Fury’s eye after he was cut in sparring this year
Usyk, meanwhile, weighed in at 233.5lbs – the heaviest of his boxing career so far
Fury was seen in the mele of bodies shouting back at Usyk as he was held back by his team
Fury had cut an energetic and up beat figure as he walked to the stage, sparring the air with his fists, before things descended into chaos on stage
Usyk held his fist aloft in the air after making his way out of the fracas on the stage
The explosive weigh-in was stark in contrast to Thursday’s well-mannered press conference
Fury (left) had refused to look at Usyk (right) during yesterday’s meeting with the press
Speaking ahead of the much-anticipated bout, heavyweight fighter Joseph Parker called Usyk (pictured) a ‘crafty’ boxer before lauding him as ‘phenomenal’
Fury, meanwhile, was looking in good shape on stage, having undergone a huge body transformation for the fight
Parker added: ‘Usyk though is crafty and is phenomenal.’
Carl Frampton also gave his verdict on how Fury can use his physical attributes to beat Usyk ahead of the weigh-in.
‘There’s a lot more to him though people are just saying Tyson Fury is too big and too strong but all the other attributes, his height, reach and the weight,’ he said to TNT Sports.
‘There’s a lot more to Tyson Fury than just being a big man.’
The WBC heavyweight certainly cut a much leaner physique during the weigh in, thanks to his dedication in training.
Fury’s strength and conditioning coach, Kristian Blacklock, previously claimed before the fight was postponed that the Gypsy King is in the ‘best shape of his life’.
He said: ‘As a team we had Tyson Fury in the best shape of his life as we quietly worked away, stronger, leaner but we will be ready when the fight is rearranged.’
His strength and conditioning coach has claimed that Fury is ‘stronger and leaner’ now
Fury shared his phenomenal body transformation on social media after his undisputed title clash with Usyk was postponed
Fury has been praised for his training regime and physical conditioning ahead of his fight
The Gypsy King’s S&C coach Kristian Blacklock said Fury was in the best shape of his life ahead of the Usyk fight – claiming he was ‘stronger and learner’ than ever before
Much has been said of Fury’s nutrition and training plan ahead of the fight, with nutritionist Greg Marriott revealing to Men’s Health that the boxer has been consuming 3,000 calories on rest days and between 4,000 to 6,000 calories on training days.
He said that the Gypsy King is eating up to six meals per day in the run-up to the fight.
Fury has previously shared shots of his strict diet, with the WBC heavyweight posting a picture of a plate loaded with salad, chicken and rice on his social media.
Claims have also been made that Fury has added more garlic to his diet in a bid to help him recover from the cut he received above his eye during a sparring session earlier this year.
But there have been some concerns that the British fighter’s weight loss could have a detrimental impact to his punching power.
Marriott gave some insights to Fury’s nutrition over the past six months, telling Sky Sports on Thursday: ‘We went out to Jeddah in November and did a fat-loss camp for six weeks, then got into serious training. I’ve been in camp with him for six months.
‘Listen, he’s telling me himself, he’s never gonna be body beautiful. It’s not about that. The body composition that has changed with him… I think people think he’s gonna be like 17.13st (249lb) – never.’
‘People say, ‘What’s changed in camp the last three years?’ Me. I’m not being big-headed, it is. I’ve come in and I’ve said: ‘Right, this is what we’re gonna do.’ And it’s nice, because he’s trusted me with everything.’
Fury shared a photo of his chicken, rice and salad lunch with fans on social media
Usyk was previously a cruiserweight before making the step up to the heavyweight division
The Ukrainian has undergone a huge transformation after becoming a heavyweight boxer
‘Watch what he does to Usyk. It’ll be like man versus boy, I promise you. He’s a serious Tyson Fury at the minute,’ Marriott added.
Usyk too has been through an incredible transformation in recent years. While his opponent has looked to become leaner, the Ukrainian fighter has added bulk and power.
The 37-year-old had earned his first world title at cruiserweight and has only fought six times in the heavyweight division. He was also notably undefeated in 16 bouts at cruiserweight.
Yet his seamless transformation into the heavyweight division has been, in part, down to his stellar training regime and his dedication to the profession.
