BOXING

10lb mix up at Usyk-Fury weigh-in ahead of huge fight

There were definitely moments of confusion during the weigh-in for Saturday’s super fight and even a moment of outright aggression, but what happened?

YASSER AL-UMARIAFP

On Saturday night, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will go head to head in what will be a truly historic boxing match. Indeed, the bout will mark the first time that we will get an undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999. With the WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF titles all on the line, it doesn’t get bigger than this.

What happened at the Tyson Fury & Oleksandr Usyk weigh-in?

If you caught the weigh-in of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, you would certainly have seen the moment when Usyk’s weight was announced as 233lbs. It was a moment that puzzled many as that would in fact be a career-high for the Ukrainian and more than 7lbs heavier than he was when he fought Anthony Joshua. Yet, as things stand, that’s actually not true. According to reports, it has been revealed that Michael Buffer proclaimed Usyk’s weight incorrectly as he actually weighs 223lbs.

What that means, is that there will be a full 40lb difference between the two men when they step into the ring on Saturday night, with Fury weighing in at 262lbs which incidentally, is the lightest he’s been for five years after his victory over Otto Wallin. To that end, we can expect to see the Brit doing all he can to use both his height and weight advantage against the visibly smaller Ukrainian. Quite frankly, we saw that during the weigh-in as well when Fury shoved Usyk as the pair engaged in a staredown. Security stepped in immediately such that there was no further incident, but Fury did make his feelings known by launching into an expletive-riddled rant: “We’re ready to rock and roll. Fireworks tomorrow night. I’m going to knock this little f***** spark out. I’m coming for his heart, that’s what I’m coming for. F*** his belts, I’m coming for his f***ing heart. He’s getting it tomorrow, spark out. F*** him and f*** all of his team too. F*** the lot of them. They can all get it if they want it too, s***houses!”

By contrast, Usyk appeared to maintain his zen as he gave a much calmer interview once Fury had left the stage, explaining that he is not feeling any nerves despite the magnitude of the coming occasion. “Don’t be afraid, I will not leave you alone tomorrow. If I will be nervous, I won’t win. My fans - I love you, see you tomorrow,” he said.

Most viewed

More news