Tyson Fury has officially shed an incredible NINE STONE in his bid to become heavyweight champion of the world once again.
The former undisputed heavyweight king weighed in at 254.4 lbs (18st 1oz) ahead of his fight with Otto Wallin in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
It’s the lightest Fury has weighed for a fight since 2015 when he beat Wladimir Klitschko, and at one point the Gypsy King admitted to weighing 27 and a half stone (385 lbs) at his heaviest in November 2017.
Being banned from fighting coupled with dealing with personal issues meant the 31-year-old piled on the pounds.
So just how did Fury manage to lose 131 pounds in less than two years? talkSPORT.com examines the secrets behind the incredible weight loss and his journey back to full fitness.
THE DIET
The first thing that needed to be changed about Fury’s regime in order to begin his comeback was his diet.
Altering a fighter’s diet ahead of a training camp is vital to ensuring they can recover sufficiently from the brutal days of training before a bout.
With Fury however, shifting weight was the most important part.
At 385 pounds, there was no way Fury was fit enough to fight – for the Wladimir Klitschko fight he weighed in at 17 stone and eight pounds (249 lbs). His nutritionist Greg Marriott (who has worked with Kell Brook in the past) introduced a ketogenic diet to burn fat and keep him energised.
He previously told Sky Sports: “Tyson needs to be on 3,500 calories a day but, when he’s expending 2,000 calories in the gym, he will need to be on 5,500 calories a day. You can then start cutting weight – this is the healthy way to do it.”
A ketogenic diet essentially requires a low-carb, high-fat intake to put your body into a state of ketosis.
Ketosis means your body uses its own fat deposits as an energy source. Your insulin (fat storing hormone) levels drop drastically and so does the weight.
THE TRAINER
After splitting from his uncle Peter Fury, Fury was left without a trainer ahead of his comeback.
Close friend Billy Joe Saunders introduced him to trainer Ben Davison whilst the pair were in a training camp together and they instantly hit it off.
Such is the closeness of their bond, Davison has moved in with Fury to his Morecambe home.
Davison has spent pretty much every day of the last two years with the heavyweight fighter, and has worked extensively to shift the seven stone weight he gained.
Davison revealed to The Telegraph consistency was key: “We went out to MTK Marbella and his brother came with us.
“Tyson has a very close-knit family and his father, John, and his brother, Shane, have been a brilliant support.
“Sometimes I ask their advice about him as they know how his brain works.
“Out in Marbella, I tightened the screws a little bit. The diet got a little bit stricter, the sessions got a little more stricter. I threw in a few more sessions that weren’t so enjoyable.
“I tested where he was mentally and physically. This was January, February. After that, we got the majority of the weight off.”
THE TRAINING
In order to make the most of his new ketogenic diet, Fury had to keep his exercising light since his body was so deprived of carbs. This meant a lot of shadow boxing and utilising swimming noodles to regain his devastating speed and movement.
After dropping the first part of the weight, Fury began to spar again back in February against British heavyweight Dave Allen – even gaining a black eye in the process.
After that, he began sparring against a far more experienced opponent in the form of 38-year-old Mariusz Wach (who fought against Wladimir Kltischko in 2012 for the world heavyweight titles).
His impressive performance drew serious praise from Billy Joe Saunders who was in attendance at the session.
HOW LONG HAS HE GOT LEFT?
As mentioned above, Fury was just more than half a stone lighter than he currently weighs when he shocked the world and took the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight titles almost three years ago.
Everything looks as though it is all falling into shape for the Mancunian, and whatever happens, with Fury the main attraction once again, it will be an interesting ride.
