Light & lean Fury happy to be 'young fresh hunter' again

Tyson Fury says he took his undefeated record "for granted" as the British heavyweight appeared lean and sharp before Saturday's bout with Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The 37-year-old - returning to the ring after two consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024 - weighed in at 19st 2lb (122kg), three pounds heavier than his Russian opponent.

Fury briefly retired after suffering the first losses of his career to Usyk in Saudi Arabia, but outlined his desire to become a three-time world champion.

"Whoever has the belts I want to get them back. I was undefeated for 17 years and took it for granted," he said at Friday's weigh-in in London.

"I had two losses in a row and I'm not the hunted now but I'm the hunter. It feels great to be the young fresh hunter again.

"I want to make a statement, so I've come in nice and light and lean."

Fury - who had the infamous 11-minute and 20-second stare down with Usyk before their second fight 16 months ago - shared just a short seven-second face-off with Makhmudov, before the 36-year-old left the stage.

Fury was in the same upbeat mood he has shown all week - making time for fans outside beforehand, laughing and joking with the media, and strolling out to Eminem's 'Without Me' with the line "guess who's back?" blasting over the speakers.

But the focus soon turned to the scales, with weight a talking point throughout the Morecambe fighter's career.

He was a career-heaviest 20st 1lb (127kg) - although fully clothed - for his rematch with Usyk in December 2024, while during his hiatus from boxing between 2016 and 2018 he ballooned to around 28st (178kg) amid personal struggles.

Fury - who has spent his training camp in Pattaya, Thailand - weighed the same as he did for his last fight in the United Kingdom in December 2022 when he beat fellow Briton Derek Chisora.

"It's a decent, comfortable, happy weight for Fury. A lot of people thought he'd come in heavier, but that's a good weight," said BBC Radio 5 Live boxing pundit Steve Bunce.

"He looks like a man that has been training in the heat for an awful long time.

"He might have been 23 or 24 stone when he started training for this fight. He's moved a little bit of weight and built it up slowly after his exile. He's been walking up hills and carrying trees. I love how he looks."

Makhmudov, though, is one of the few heavyweights capable of matching Fury for sheer physical presence.

Standing 6ft 5in, the Russian-born, Canada-based fighter - known as 'The Lion' - has secured 21 wins in 23 fights, including 19 by knockout, and arrives in London with a reputation as a heavy puncher.

Makhmudov's most recent victory came against British heavyweight Dave Allen in October 2025.

"I'm ready to go. I can't wait for tomorrow night to make my dream happen. I've waited a long time to get here. It's my dream and my time," he said.

Having never appeared ripped or sculpted, Fury has repeatedly defied conventional expectations of what a "fit" heavyweight should look like, relying on movement, reactions and ring IQ to outmanoeuvre opponents.

The bigger question now may be less about appearance and more about whether age and inactivity have dulled those attributes.

In a career that has included a brutal trilogy with Deontay Wilder, being knocked down by debutant Francis Ngannou and a tougher-than-expected bout with Swede Otto Wallin - as well as two demanding fights with Usyk - there are lingering questions over whether the accumulated miles have taken their toll.

"I'm getting older - Father Time waits for no-one - but I've still got a bit left in the tank," added Fury as his wife Paris and family looked on from the front row.

"I'm not retiring again until after the fight. My priority at the moment is to beat this guy and eat the Easter eggs I've got in the fridge."