10:40 a.m. ET
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Mike Coppinger ESPN
LONDON – Tyson Fury climbed to the scale of the “Freed from Desire” at the Gala and was greeted by a stormy crowd of Englishmen who greeted the “Gypsy King” on Friday before his first battle for the title on British soil.
The heavyweight champion undressed before shooting a large right hand into the sky and stepping on the scales: 264.8 pounds, nearly 13 pounds less than what he weighed in his October victory over Diontay Wilder.
Dillian White, who will challenge Fury on Saturday before more than 94,000 at Wembley Stadium (2 pm ET, ESPN + pay-per-view) in only the third match for the British heavyweight title in the 130-year history of the division, is registered at £ 253.25.
“It’s no secret about the last match, [trainer SugarHill Steward] I can tell you that we had about four or five weeks to train for this and during that time we had to cross the Atlantic to Vegas in a different time zone, “Fury told ESPN when asked to explain all the weight lost. We had 14 weeks of preparation for this camp. We are in shape! “
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As always, Fury’s physique contradicts his impeccable condition, a 12-round engine that is among the best in all of boxing, not just the heavyweight division.
In ESPN’s Battle of the Year 2021, knocking out Wilder in the 11th round in a terrible weak fest, Fury weighed in at a record 277 pounds. Even after all these grueling laps, Fury had the energy to perform a holiday song in the ring before partying on stage with DJ Steve Aoki at a Las Vegas nightclub late at night.
The 33-year-old Fury is at the top of the game and is guaranteed $ 29,538,000. If Fury (31-0-1, 22 KO) comes out the winner, he will win the highest in his career $ 33,640,500 (a $ 4,102,500 win bonus is online.) He is rated №1 by ESPN in the heavyweight division and №6 pounds – for a pound, but he insists he will retire after Saturday’s battle with White.
The promise comes despite the temptation to fight for an undisputed championship later this year against the winner of the July 23 rematch between Alexander Usik and Anthony Joshua. The upcoming fight for the four heavyweight titles is one of the richest in boxing history, but Fury promises to get rid of it all.
“I accept everything, and every person who comes means the whole world to me,” Fury said. “There was a time in this country when fans booed me, believe it or not. Now they hug me and love me and it’s an overwhelming feeling; I’m happy about it all. Fantastic support from the British people.”
White (28-2, 19 KOs) was born in Jamaica but lived in England for a long time before recently moving to Portugal. The 34-year-old has been featured in pay-per-view channels many times in the UK and is a big attraction in itself, which is why this battle is so anticipated.
Since becoming the No. 1 WBC contender in October 2017 with a victory over Robert Hellenius, White has been waiting more than 1,600 days for his title shot. It can be said that he is the most successful fighter in boxing, who never fights for the championship.
“I’m ready to go to war tomorrow,” said White, who was ranked No. 6 in the heavyweight division by ESPN. “… Everyone has their time and I feel it’s my time.”
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