TYSON FURY and Deontay Wilder took to the scales on Friday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to weigh in before the third (and presumably final) instalment of their heavyweight trilogy tomorrow.
Fury, the world heavyweight champion and WBC belt-holder, scaled 277lbs. Wilder was 238lbs.
Both men weighed in at their career heaviest. It’s a sign that they intend to meet each head on. Fury took the centre of the ring and drove Wilder backwards to beat him in their last fight, making full use of his size and weight advantage. Now Wilder insists that’s not going to happen again. “There won’t be no rushing me and putting all that weight on me,” the American challenger declared.
Fury was animated. He is a big man and was bigger than ever today. He roared loudly, not even needing a microphone, “It means total obliteration of a dosser, total annihilation. I’m going to put him in the Royal Infirmary after this fight, don’t you worry about that.”
“His heart’s rattling now,” he bellowed at Wilder. “There’s a man here that’s going to annihilate you.”
He continued his tirade, using some language not fit to print on the live broadcast on Fox and ESPN.
To save matters from spiralling out of hand, a nervy phalanx of security guards had been positioned between the two fighters. The boxers were prevented from facing off after this weigh in, much as they had been after Wednesday’s press conference when the event promoters had anxiously kept them apart for fear of tempers fraying and anything happening that could jeopardise this fight.
Speaking to Boxing News earlier this week, Fury had maintained he’d no personal animus towards Wilder. Indeed he finished their second fight so conclusively last year, stopping Wilder in seven rounds, that surely the Briton has nothing left to prove. That has never prevented him from hurling insults at the American. Wilder has said little, unwilling to engage too much with Fury. But he couldn’t help shouting back at Fury today. Wilder made no secret of his mounting resentment this week and his determination to secure a violent knockout.
“This fight is redemption, retaliation, retribution,” he said. “At this point in time it’s all action for me. Action, action, action. I don’t have many words to say.”
Fury goaded him today but previously reflected, “I’ve got some guy trying to take my head off with punches, no matter if it’s Deontay Wilder or whoever it may be, it doesn’t really matter to me because it’s the Tyson Fury roadshow.”
Fury kept his vest on today. He won’t be as chiseled as Wilder in appearance and the American certainly looked in good condition when they weighed in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Nevertheless Fury has always been able to make full use of his mass in a boxing ring. His training camp had been disrupted when his new born baby was gravely ill, but his daughter thankfully has recovered and, taking into account the postponements of mooted fight dates over the course of the last 12 months, Fury has been preparing throughout the year.
“I eat sleep, train, repeat. I’ve had a few personal problems at home but there’s always going to be some type of problem or hurdle to get over in life so it’s just how we do it. I had a little baby girl who was born seven and a half weeks ago and she was very unwell for a minute or two. I was there for two weeks in the hospital with her and I knew that if I got that hurdle out the way I knew that things would be good, I could concentrate on the fight and that’s exactly what I did,” he said. “I am 100% confident, the baby’s 100% well, everyone’s good, family’s good. So daddy’s just got to do his job now and that’s it.”