For the first time in 15 years, Tyson Fury is the smaller man in the ring.
Fury tipped the scales at 265 pounds on Thursday in Pattaya, Thailand, ahead of Friday’s charity heavyweight bout with Mariusz Wach. The Polish veteran came in at 291.4 pounds, more than 26 pounds heavier. The last time the 6-foot-9 Fury weighed in lighter than an opponent was his first fight with Derek Chisora back in 2011.
Fury, never one to let a moment pass quietly, had fun with it at the weigh-ins.
This man’s nearly two and a half stone heavier than me, and I’m usually a —- fat —-, ain’t I? ‘Mr. Slim’ now.
He also made clear the goal is simply to stay active.
Look, I want to keep busy. I’m not banking myself on any —- fight that happening that might not happen or whatever, but I want to keep busy. I’m a fighter, so the main thing I’ve always wanted to do and never been able to do it is stay busy all the time.
The Wach fight is widely viewed as a tune-up for the long-awaited all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua, who also fights this weekend against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. No date or location for Fury vs. Joshua has been locked in.
It’s Fury’s second bout since ending his latest retirement. He returned in April with a unanimous decision win over Arslanbek Makhmudov, moving his record to 35-2-1.
