(Reuters) – Heavyweights Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder tipped the scales at their biggest weights yet on the eve of their highly-anticipated third fight in Las Vegas on Saturday with the WBC belt on the line.
Fury, who recovered from a 12th round knockdown in their first meeting to earn a draw before dominating Wilder 20 months ago to take the strap, weighed in at 277 pounds, five pounds heavier than in their second fight.
An amped up Fury, who wore a black brimmed hat in an apparent nod to WWE wrestler The Undertaker, was supremely confident he would emerge victorious in the trilogy bout.
Asked what the extra weight on his 6′ 9″ frame meant, the undefeated “Gypsy King” from Wythenshawe, England did not mince his words.
“It means total obliteration, total annihilation!” Fury yelled to a supportive crowd assembled for the weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“That’s what 277 pounds means to me.”
The underdog Wilder weighed in at a surprising 238 pounds, seven pounds more than in their last meeting.
The knockout artist from Tuscaloosa, Alabama has kept his emotions in check this week and was mostly unwilling to engage with the loquacious Fury at Wednesday’s news conference or the weigh in, neither of which featured the traditional face-off.
“Calmness is the key to the storm,” Wilder said.
“I’m looking to be calm in this fight so I can make great decisions and show the people what I’m all about.
“We have rejuvenated myself, reinvented myself. Redemption is upon us, and I can’t wait to show the world what I’m all about.”
The 39 pound weight difference marks the smallest differential between the two so far, but Fury said he welcomed the bulked up Wilder.
“It will make him slower. He can’t carry his weight like I can. He’s not a natural big heavyweight, he’s a natural small man,” Fury said of the lean, 6′ 7″ Wilder.
The winner is expected to face Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the other three titles, for a chance to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis 21 years ago.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
