Oleksandr Usyk weight announced incorrectly ahead of undisputed heavyweight title fight… with Tyson Fury boosted by a major weight advantage
- It was announced that Usyk had tipped the scales at a career heaviest 233 pounds
- Due to an error, the weight was incorrectly announced at the weigh-in
- Tyson Fury will have a 39-pound weight advantage over his rival in Saudi Arabia
Oleksandr Usyk’s weight was incorrectly announced at the weigh-in ahead of his undisputed heavyweight title fight with Tyson Fury on Saturday.
It was initially announced that the Ukrainian fighter had tipped the scales at a career heaviest at 233 pounds on Friday.
Usyk would have weighed 12.6 pounds heavier than his last fight against Daniel Dubois in August 2023.
Ring announcer Michael Buffer reportedly misunderstood the weight officials said after Usyk stepped on the scale, leading to the wrong figure being announced.
Video footage of the weigh-in on social media showed that officials actually announced that Usyk weighed 223 pounds.
Oleksandr Usyk was incorrectly announced as weighing 233 pounds for Saturday’s fight
The Ukrainian actually weighed 223 pounds for his showdown against Tyson Fury
Promoter Eddie Hearn saw the funny side of Usyk’s weight being misreported
Usyk still holds the heaviest weight of his career, holding the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and the IBO champion’s previous record of 221 pounds.
The 37-year-old had three successes during his heavyweight career, beating Anthony Joshua at the weight twice, as well as his last fight against Dubois.
Promoter Eddie Hearn made light of the mistake on social media, noting that the debate over Usyk’s weight gain for the fight had ultimately been pointless.
“Glad we spent the last five hours debating and analyzing Usyk weighing 233 pounds, only to find out it was actually read at 223 pounds,” Hearn wrote.
At Friday’s official weigh-in, Fury tipped the scales at 262 pounds, the lightest he has been since taking on Otto Wallin in Las Vegas in 2019.
The Gypsy King will boast a significant 39-pound weight advantage over his rival heading into Saturday night’s fight in Riyadh.
After the weigh-ins, the two fighters faced off on stage for the final time before meeting in the ring.
After failing to look at his opponent during a press conference earlier this week, Fury wasted little time on Friday by swearing in Usyk’s face, setting up against the Ukrainian before shoving him onto the stage.
Fury and Usyk faced each other for the final time on Friday during the weigh-in prior to their clash in the ring
Saturday’s showdown is set to be the first undisputed king of the heavyweight division since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield over 12 rounds in November 1999 to claim all the titles.
After the confrontation, Fury launched into an expletive-laden tirade in which he insisted he was not motivated by the titles at stake.
“I’m ready to rock’n’roll.” Fury told TNT Sports.
“Fireworks tomorrow night, I’m gonna put out this little damn spark.”
‘I’m coming for his heart. Fuck his belt, I’m coming for his damn heart. F*** his whole team too, f*** everyone. They can have it all, motherfuckers.”