Boxing: Trimmed-down Fury tips scales at weigh-ins for heavyweight title clash with Usyk

Fury and Usyk square off.
Fury and Usyk square off. Photo credit: Getty Images

Briton Tyson Fury is nearly 30 pounds (13kg) heavier than Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk at the weigh-in ahead of their unified world heavyweight title bout at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Usyk has weighed in at 233.5 pounds (105.9kg) - the heaviest he has been in his career - while Fury tips the scales at 262 pounds (118.8kg).

Billed as the "Ring of Fire", Sunday's fight (NZ time) will unify Fury's WBC heavyweight championship with the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts held by Usyk, one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world.

The boxers faced off and locked heads after the weigh-in, as tensions rose, with Fury shoving Usyk in the chest.

"I'm going to knock him right out," Fury said. "I'm coming for his heart.

"He's getting it tomorrow... they [Usyk's team] can all get it, if they want it."

Fury and Usyk during weigh-ins.
Fury and Usyk during weigh-ins. Photo credit: Getty Images

Usyk was quick to respond.

"Don't be afraid," he said. "I will not leave you alone tomorrow."

The long-awaited fight between the two undefeated boxers was originally scheduled for February 17, but postponed two weeks before the bout, when Fury suffered a cut during sparring.

Fury weighed in lighter than the 277.7 pounds he was at for his non-title fight against former UFC fighter Francis Ngannou in October, in which the Briton was knocked down, but won on a split decision.

Reuters