Tyson Fury was just 5lb (1kg) heavier than Arslanbek Makhmudov on Friday, as the pair tipped the scales ahead of their heavyweight showdown in London.
On Saturday, the pair will square off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as Fury makes his fifth comeback to boxing after yet another retirement.
But on Friday, the British star and his Russian opponent returned to the scene of Thursday’s press conference, in Canary Wharf, to weigh in.
And Fury came in at 267.9lb (121kg), after Makhmudov weighed 264.9lb (120kg).
With that, 37-year-old Fury was notably lighter than in his most-recent fight, a decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk 16 months ago. On that occasion, Fury was a career-heaviest 281lb (127kg). That result marked the second loss of Fury’s career, seven months after Usyk outpointed him for the first time.
Meanwhile, Makhmudov was 261.1lb (118kg) for his most-recent bout, a decision win over Britain’s Dave Allen in October.
The Russian, 36, boasts a formidable knockout record of 19 from 21 wins. However, his two defeats have both come via stoppage, and both occurred within his last five fights.
He will seek the biggest win of his career by far when he faces Fury, who has expressed interest in various fights later this year – including a long-awaited duel with compatriot Anthony Joshua, a trilogy bout against Usyk, and a world-title fight.
Fury is a former two-time heavyweight champion himself, and the current world-title holders are Usyk (WBC, WBA, IBF belts) and Fabio Wardley (WBO).
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Usyk will defend his titles against kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven at the pyramids of Giza on 23 May, two weeks after Wardley fights Daniel Dubois in Manchester.
