The last time he fought for a world title, Tyson Fury made Wladimir Klitschko look well past his prime.
Fury travelled to Dusseldorf in late 2015 and schooled the Ukrainian legend over 12 rounds, becoming the lineal heavyweight champion of the world in the process.
The undefeated Brit has only fought once since then, claiming victory in his comeback bout earlier this year, but now he is beginning to eye world title fights again.
With suggestions that he is aiming for a shot at WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder before the year is out, Fury must first get past another tune-up opponent in the form of Francesco Pianeta.
Ahead of the fight in Belfast this weekend, Fury’s trainer Ben Davison has made a huge claim about the weighing scales ahead of Fury’s clash with Klitschko.
Davison has revealed an interesting theory that Klitschko’s team altered the scales to make Fury, who officially weighed in at 17st 8lbs on the eve of the bout, seem smaller.
In a pair of tweets on Monday night, Davison insisted that ‘The Gypsy King’ actually weighed 18st 5lbs for the fight but Klitschko’s camp was concerned that he would be intimidated if he knew the real size advantage enjoyed by Fury.
18st 5 is his real weight for the WK fight, on un altered scales
— Ben Davison (@BenDavison_) August 13, 2018
Those answers I can’t give but my thoughts are why? because wlad or his team didn’t think he’d cope mentally with the size advantage, how? I believe a limit was set on the scales before they “clocked off”
— Ben Davison (@BenDavison_) August 13, 2018
Fury’s last weigh-in, in June, saw him come in at 19st 10lbs after slimming down from the 27 stone he had ballooned up to in his time away from the ring.
After Fury made comeback opponent Sefer Seferi quit on his stool, promoter Frank Warren made it clear that his fighter would have to drop even more weight ahead of his next outing.
“Tyson needs to lose even more weight before he fights on Carl Frampton’s card at Windsor Park on August 18. He is also aware there will be a higher calibre opponent,” Warren told the Daily Mail two months ago.
“We didn’t try to kid anyone that Seferi was anything other than someone to help him ease into his comeback. Taking off all those stones in less than three months is physically draining and he also had to start shaking off the ring rust after such a long lay-off. The clamour for Fury to set about regaining the several belts he gave over to Anthony Joshua will be resisted until next summer. Tyson needs more time and more fights.”
