Tyson Fury won’t be the bigger man for once.
For the first time since 2011, Fury weighed in lighter than his opponent for a fight, coming in at 265 pounds Thursday for his heavyweight matchup with Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand. The Polish veteran registered at 291.4 pounds, over 26 pounds heavier than Fury for Friday’s fight.
The last time the 6-foot-9 Fury came in smaller on the scale was for his first fight with future rival Derek Chisora 15 years ago, when Fury came in at 255.5 pounds and Chisora at 261.
Watch video of the weigh-ins below, courtesy of Seconds Out.
Fury’s fight with Wach is expected to serve as a tune-up fight for the former heavyweight king’s long-awaited matchup with fellow British star Anthony Joshua, who also fights this weekend when he takes on Kristian Prenga on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An official date and location for the potential Fury vs. Joshua fight is still to be determined.
This is Fury’s second fight since ending his latest retirement bid. This past April, he made a successful comeback with a unanimous decision win over Arslanbek Makhmudov to boost his career record to 35-2-1.
“This man’s nearly two and a half stone heavier than me, and I’m usually a f*cking fat c*nt, ain’t I?” Fury said at Thursday’s weigh-ins. “‘Mr. Slim’ now.”
“Look, I want to keep busy,” Fury added. “I’m not banking myself on any f*cking 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. This year is the year of Tyson Fury staying busy, so whatever happens, I’m just going to stay busy throughout the year. Who knows how many fights? I might have f*cking 10 fights this year.”
Fury vs. Wach is not being broadcast live via any traditional or streaming services. The fight is expected air at a later date as part of Fury’s reality show At Home with the Furys on Netflix.
