EXCLUSIVE: Tyson Fury’s nutritionist reveals boxer’s pre-fight diet ahead of crossover clash with MMA star Francis Ngannou – and why the British champion starts his day with an American classic

British heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury is eating black pudding, lean pork and anything spicy ahead of his blockbuster crossover fight later this month, his nutritionist revealed to DailyMail.com.

Fury, 35, will fight MMA fighter Francis Ngannou on October 28 and has been on a strict diet in recent months with no cheat meals aside from some steak on his days off.

Nutritionist George Lockwood, who lives with Fury for several months a year during training camp and has worked with other fighters such as Conor McGregor and Joseph Parker, told DailyMail.com that Fury is disciplined and “doesn’t change anything” about his exercise or diet leads to the expected matchup.

Although he eats a variety of dishes, the fighter’s current favorites are curry and an ‘American’ breakfast of steak, eggs and potatoes – and he is not a big fan of vegetables.

Despite Fury’s 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame, Lockwood said the father of seven sticks to a calorie intake of 2,700 to 3,200 calories a day: “He’s a big guy, but he’s not a big eater .’

Fury consumes about four meals a day, including breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner.

Black pudding, a type of sausage popular in Britain, is one of its staples. It is made from animal blood, such as pigs or cows, and grains such as cereal or oatmeal. The blood makes it rich in iron, which is necessary for intense workouts because it helps produce hemoglobin, which transports oxygen throughout the body.

He also drinks pre- and post-workout shakes before and after each of his two daily workouts. These types of shakes usually contain whey, casein, egg, soy or pea protein. Whey and casein are milk proteins, while soy and pea proteins are vegetable. Egg whites are made with pure egg whites.

But even with his match against Ngannou fast approaching, Fury isn’t packing on any extra calories, and his intake is about the same for all his fights and training days.

Lockwood said, “That’s one thing about Tyson. If you fight Deotay Wilder or a rookie, you train exactly the same. He treats it like the biggest fight of his life.

‘Many people make the mistake of changing their diet the week of the fight. You give the body the exact same types of foods because you know how the body responds to those foods, the timing of those foods and the portion sizes.”

The only thing Lockwood changes shortly before a fight is the amount of carbs Fury gets. By taking carbohydrates the day before a fight or a particularly intense workout, Fury ensures they are stored in his body and ready to use the next day. This is known as carbohydrate loading.

Carbohydrates, including sugars, starches and fiber, are essential for exercise because they are broken down into glucose. Glucose then travels through the bloodstream to the cells, where they use it for energy. This process takes time, so Lockwood starts carb loading a day early.

Lockwood said: “You don’t want to give him a bunch of carbs on sparring day because he won’t have them in his body to use.

“Normally his output goes up the closer we get to the fight. Of course we increase the carbohydrates.’

Lockwood also gives the fighter more refined grains, such as white rice, because the body digests them more quickly.

“If you do two workouts a day, you should be able to recharge, refuel and rock ‘n’ roll,” the trainer told DailyMail.com

While most people consume fewer calories while exercising more to lose weight or stay slim, Lockwood says this isn’t effective for elite athletes like Fury.

‘Many people work on the input. They are trying to reduce input rather than increase output,” Lockwood said.

‘For top athletes, losing weight is not the most important goal. Your main goal is to improve performance. So if his caloric intake stays the same but his output increases, he will lean out.”

Fury is not trying to go leaner or heavier than normal for his upcoming fight, and Lockwood said he is aiming to weigh between 264 and 268 pounds.

No matter how close an upcoming fight is, Fury has a few favorite dishes. Spicy foods like curry come on top.

Just before speaking to DailyMail.com, Lockwood said he had just made ‘one of the hottest meals ever’, and Fury grabbed a bottle of hot sauce before he even tasted it.

“He likes very spicy food, which is really good for me because I like cooking with a lot of pepper and a lot of spices,” Lockwood said.

“If it’s spicy, he’ll like it.”

However, Fury’s top meal is constantly changing. When the pair first met three years ago, Lockwood said Fury’s favorite choice was poke, a dish made with raw fish and rice. Now he doesn’t like it anymore.

“It’s always different, but the one thing is it’s always going to be something spicy,” Lockwood said.

“He’s a big potato man. His favorite breakfast is an American breakfast: steak, egg, potato. It’s a good one. I can’t give it to him all the time.’

When DailyMail.com spoke to Lockwood, Fury had just finished his last meal of the day, a dinner of grilled chicken with rice, peppers and jalapeno peppers.

He had started his day with three potatoes, two large turkey sausages, black pudding and two eggs.

Before training, his snack consisted of Greek yogurt, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and granola.

For lunch, Lockwood made him a bowl with basmati rice cooked in broth, grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, spinach, tomato, garlic and onion.

To keep everything fresh, the trainer sometimes swaps turkey for meat such as chicken, lean pork, fish and red meat.

Fury isn’t the biggest fan of vegetables, and Lockwood is forced to hide them in his food.

He said, “I cook it for a long time with rice and things like that, and mix it with chicken stock or bone broth, which helps with digestion and things like that.

‘I’m also not a big fan of vegetables, so I cook my meals pretty much the same way I cook his. It’s definitely a good match for both of us.’

Fury isn’t the only athlete Lockwood has worked with, and he has brought his nutritional expertise to other fighters such as New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker, who is a fan of fish, and Irish fighter Conor McGregor, with whom Lockwood has worked for six years. worked together.

“I’d be surprised how many things (McGregor) could eat before training. It hurt my stomach to watch,” Lockwood said.

McGregor was a big fan of lamb, while Fury only eats it occasionally.

Despite his disciplined lifestyle, Fury does have a go-to cheat meal, although Lockwood claims he doesn’t need it. However, Fury sometimes enjoys steak.

“Hopefully these guys won’t need one with the food I’m giving them,” he said.

Lockwood added: “It’s healthy, but it’s good stuff. When I start working with people, they often think it’s going to be terrible food, they’re going to eat bland chicken, lamb stock, things like that.

“I’ve been doing this long enough, trying to figure out that palette and cook around that.

“I try to find out what they like and how they like it, but still give them what they need to perform at their best.”