British defending champion Fury tipped the scales at 277lbs
(125.6 kg) at Friday’s weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas,
while Wilder came in at 238lbs.
Fury, who declined to take his shirt off as he climbed on to
the scales, is four pounds heavier than the 273lbs he weighed when scoring a
seventh-round knockout of Wilder in their second meeting 20 months ago.
It means Wilder will come in 37lb lighter than his opponent
when he attempts to reclaim his WBC title from the unbeaten Fury at the
T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
Wilder’s previous heaviest fighting weight was the 231lbs he
weighed during his knockout defeat to Fury last year.
Friday’s weigh-in saw both fighters kept apart by security
as Fury once again taunted Wilder with a stream of expletives and threats of a
gruesome beating.
Asked what the significance of his heaviest ever weight
would be, Fury replied: “It means total obliteration of a dosser.
“Total annihilation. That’s what it means to me — 277 pounds
… I’m going to put him in the Royal Infirmary after this fight, don’t worry
about that.”
‘Severely Hurt’
Asked for his prediction on how he expected the fight to go,
Fury added: “With him severely hurt on the floor, smashed to bits, like he’s
been run over by an 18-wheeler truck.
“Last time he complained he had cracked skull and an injured
arm. Well, I can’t wait for Saturday night. I’m really going to severely damage
him. He’ll be unrecognisable after the fight. I’ll send him home butchered.”
Earlier this week, Fury (30-0-1, 21 knockouts) had played
down the significance of his fighting weight, insisting he had prepared
properly.
“I’m not aiming for a specific weight, I’m just eating
plenty of food,” Fury said. “I’ve trained hard enough and that’s it. Whatever I
weigh in on the night, I weigh in at,” the 33-year-old said.
However, Fury’s failure to remove his t-shirt during
Friday’s weigh-in earned taunts from Wilder’s supporters, with one member of
the challenger’s entourage shouting pointedly: “You fat, dude!”
Fury meanwhile dismissed Wilder’s decision to change
trainers following his defeat to the Briton last year.
Wilder is now trained by former heavyweight Malik Scott, who
was himself knocked in one round by Wilder back in 2014.
“It’s one shithouse teaching another shithouse how to bomb,”
Fury said. “Both a pack of losers. And they both ain’t worth a sausage.”
Wilder for his part declined to engage with Fury’s goading,
instead emphasising his calmer approach and “joyful” training camp.
“Calmness is the key to the storm,” Wilder said.
“I know that when I’m not calm, my mind is cloudy. And when
you’re mind is cloudy it allows you to make bad decisions. But when you’re calm
you can weather the storm.
“I have rejuvenated myself and reinvented myself. Redemption
is upon us. I can’t wait to show the world what I’m all about.”
Saturday’s fight is the third installment of Wilder and
Fury’s three-year rivalry.
The two men fought to a bruising draw in Los Angeles in 2018
before Fury scored a one-sided victory over the American in their second fight
last year.
The trilogy fight is going ahead after an independent
arbitrator ruled in May this year that Fury must give Wilder a rematch or be
stripped of his title.
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