by James Slater – Rival British heavyweights Tyson Fury and John McDermott, who fight a rematch of their controversial September 2009 bout tomorrow evening, have both weighed-in in Brentwood in Essex, and what we saw at the scales was somewhat surprising; even shocking. 22-year-old Fury, who gained a highly debatable 98-92 decision over McDermott at the tail end of last summer, tipped-in at a whopping, career-heaviest 270-pounds! Though a tall guy at 6’7,” this weight is not good news for the heavily hyped English title winner. Indeed, eyebrows may well be raised when fans read about the weight of Fury, and some people may well ask if the betting favourite has put in as much work as he should’ve done..
McDermott, never a guy to sport a svelte-looking, chiselled physique, weighed-in at 254-pounds, a weight that is about average for the man who insists he always put the work in in the gym, his less than impressive body be damned.
Fury was all smiles at the weigh-in, and he certainly didn’t look like a man who is concerned about losing due to not having trained properly, and it must be said that Fury didn’t look fat – he is, after all, a big man. However, Fury, 10-0(8) recently spilt with new trainer, veteran Brian Hughes. Big Tyson claims the split came about because he wasn’t getting sufficient attention from the well respected coach – but is that the whole story? Certainly, it would be hard to imagine Hughes being happy with the weight Fury tipped in at today.
Fury is confident he will win tomorrow, and that he will make it a clear-cut victory this time around; even stating how he will retire from boxing if he loses to McDermott, 25-6(16).
“It was a hard and tight fight [the last time], but this time there will be no doubt about the winner,” Fury said. “I got the vote on the night, but too many people have told me I deserved to lose. I will put that right. If I’m any good I’ll beat McDermott. If I lose I will pack up my gloves and get a job. I don’t want to box at a lower level – what’s the point?”
These words could well come back to haunt Fury after tomorrow’s bout. McDermott has a real desire to gain “revenge” over the man who was rewarded with that decision last year, and he is both tough and experienced. With the huge amount of weight he will be carrying (Fury could be weighing around 280-pounds by fight time), Fury, unless he gets a quick KO, could well be blowing and feeling the pace. And is a fast KO by Fury all that likely, considering how the last fight shaped up?
I see another long and hard fight and now, with the news of Fury’s weight, I lean towards the older man by eight years to prevail. Unless he’s “robbed” for a second time, “Big Bad John” will indeed settle the score whilst also earning himself another shot at the British title.