Tyson Fury downplays weight talk ahead of planned return

Tyson Fury has never fit the standard outline of a heavyweight champion, and he is again pushing back on criticism about his appearance as he prepares for a planned return to the ring.

In a video posted to social media, Fury dismissed comments suggesting he is out of shape, saying his body has never defined his success. He said he currently weighs around 20 stone, roughly 280 pounds, and expects to come in under 19 stone for his comeback.

Fury said the criticism is familiar. He added that he has won fights throughout his career while carrying extra weight and does not see a reason that would change now. He described his goal weight as loose and fast rather than lean.

The former champion acknowledged the length of his layoff, noting that if he returns in the first quarter of 2026, it would mark as many as 16 months away from competition. Fury will turn 38 later this year. He said the time out is significant and left open the question of how much he has left.

No date or opponent has been announced, but Fury remains one of the division’s most recognizable figures and is expected to return to a major stage when he does fight again.

Fury’s history shows wide swings in weight across long stretches away from the ring. After defeating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, he did not fight again for more than two years and returned heavier than he had been for that bout, which itself came at an unusually low weight for him.

His heaviest official weight came in his most recent fight, a December 2024 loss to Oleksandr Usyk, when he weighed 281 pounds. That was 19 pounds heavier than he had been for their first meeting earlier that year.

If Fury returns at around 265 pounds, it would place him near the weight he carried for wins over Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora in 2022 and slightly above his weight for the first Usyk fight.

Only once has Fury’s condition appeared to significantly affect his performance. That came in his 2023 bout with Francis Ngannou, when he looked sluggish and unprepared. In other high weight outings, including his wins over Deontay Wilder, Fury remained effective.

Whether age and inactivity change that equation will be answered only when he returns. The question is no longer whether Fury can return in shape, but whether time and inactivity have finally become problems that weight alone can’t cover up.