Tyson Fury has hinted at a significant change in strategy as he prepares for his highly anticipated rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk made history in May by becoming the first four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion, snatching Fury’s WBC title and unbeaten record in the process.
In their initial clash, Fury weighed in at 18 stone 7 pounds, while Usyk tipped the scales at 16 stone. However, it seems Fury believes his ideal fighting weight is the hefty 19 stone 11 pounds he weighed when he triumphed over Deontay Wilder in their trilogy bout back in 2021.
Sharing a picture from his fight with Usyk, Fury remarked, “Was in the shape of my life. But this is not the GK,” hinting at a need for adjustment. He followed up with another snap from the Wilder fight, stating, “This is him. 19:11lbs bruiser.”
Throughout his career, Fury has fluctuated in weight, weighing 18 stone 4 pounds during his controversial draw against Wilder in 2018 and bulking up to 19 stone 7 pounds for their rematch, which he won decisively in seven rounds. He reached his heaviest at 19 stone 11 pounds when he stopped Wilder in the 11th round.
Despite the talk of weight gain, Fury, 36, has made it clear he won’t be changing his coaching team ahead of the rematch against Usyk, 37, set for December 21. His corner, which includes head trainer Sugarhill Steward, assistant Andy Lee, and his father John, faced criticism during the last fight, particularly for John’s vocal interruptions during crucial moments.
When asked about the coaching dynamics during the console release of the boxing video game Undisputed, Fury insisted, “I know what I’ve got to do, nothing drastic. People can say ‘I want to change trainers or I’ll blame it on my conditioning coach or the cook or the mouse next door.’ I’m not interested in all that. For me, it is the same team, same everything. I know what I’ve got to do.”
Reflecting on their last encounter, Fury stated, “I thought I won the fight last time. I gave him rounds eight, nine, and ten, with round nine being a 10-8. One of the judges even had me winning. It was as close as it can be. I didn’t get the nod on the night, but I’ll make it back next time.”
