A fully clothed Tyson Fury registered a career-high 20st 1lb [127.5kg], four stones heavier than his opponent Oleksandr Usyk, at the weigh-in for their heavyweight rematch in Saudi Arabia.
Saturday night's clash at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh will see the Ukranian defend his WBC, WBO and WBA titles against the Briton, who he beat by split decision at the same venue in May.
That meeting unified the heavyweight titles but Usyk subsequently relinquished his IBF belt just weeks after becoming the division's first undisputed champion for 25 years, rather than face challenger Daniel Dubois.
At Friday night's weigh-in at the Wonder Garden, 36-year-old Fury, dressed in a baseball cap, leather jacket and white trousers, massively outweighed Usyk. The 6ft 9ins Briton is also six inches taller than the champion.
The 37-year-old Usyk, who was also fully dressed in a purple tracksuit, weighed in at 16st 1lb [102kg]. That was 5lbs lighter than for their May encounter.
After their 11-minute face-off on Thursday, Fury looked away after just seven seconds during their final face-off before the fight, a 22,000 sell-out.
The “Gypsy King” walked off without giving an on-camera interview. Usyk, asked how he was feeling, simply replied: “Nothing”.
Fury's promoter, Frank Warren, said: “You can analyse it anyway you like but tomorrow night you're going to find out who is the best. You know both of them will come to fight. We are going to see something extra, extra special.”
The defeat in May was the first of Fury's 36-fight pro career. He also has one draw from the first fight of his trilogy against Deontay Wilder.
While, Usyk, a former Olympic champion, is 22-0 including 14 knockouts and was undisputed cruiserweight champion before uniting the heavyweight belts within six fights.
But former WBC interim heavyweight champion Dillan Whyte has warned against writing the “Gypsy King” off.
Fury boasts a strong record in rematches, after prevailing convincingly in his trilogies against Wilder and Derek Chisora.
“It's a hard one to say because if I'm a betting man, I would pick Oleksandr Usyk,” Whyte, who lost to Fury at London's Wembley in April 2022, told Sky Sports.
“But I know from history and seeing Fury fight and knowing his resolve, and being in camp with him and fought him and seen that he has always bounced back.
“It's hard to go against him because you can't just write him off. You think he's finished, he's not going to come back, and then he just comes back and produces the goods.”
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More on Quran memorisation:
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
MO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Ramy%20Youssef%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Teresa%20Ruiz%2C%20Omar%20Elba%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
More on Quran memorisation:
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The years Ramadan fell in May
