By James Slater: The weights are in for tomorrow night’s British and Commonwealth heavyweight title fight between the unbeaten pair that is Derek Chisora (the holder) and Tyson Fury, and both guys came in at a weight that shows how big today’s heavyweights really are – Chisora especially.
Reading the weights on Dan Rafael’s twitter page, I was quite shocked to see that “Del Boy” has scaled a career-high 261-pounds. Fury, as is an average weight for him, came in at half-a-pound over 255. It is 27-year-old Chisora’s poundage that is sure to attract the most attention. Not having seen any photos of the weigh-in, it’s too early to suggest Chisora, 14-0(9) came in “fat,” and maybe he has bulked up purposely in an effort to increase his punching power against his tallest foe yet (Fury stands 6’9” don’t forget, to Chisora’s 6’1.5”)
It is often alarming, though, when a young fighter comes into an important fight weighing his heaviest ever. Prior to today’s weigh-in, Chisora has always come in at or around the 244 mark (barring his January 2009 points win over Daniil Peretyatko, when he came in at a little over 258), and the first thought that comes to mind is whether or not the time out of the ring Chisora has spent (he last boxed in September of last year) has allowed him to pile on the pounds. We will see come fight night.
As for Fury, he is and always will be a big man, and 255 is a good weight for him. The 23-year-old has been lower (248 being his lowest weight as a pro) and he has been much higher (268 being his heaviest weight so far). But judging solely by the amount of ultra-confident talk the 14-0(10) prospect has been coming out with, he will have trained his hardest in the gym. Fury has gone as far as to say Chisora is “scared” of him and, to be fair, does the weight at which he came in at suggest Chisora trained with any of the fear all fighters need?
Again, any concerns over Chisora’s weight will be put to rest if he comes out looking solid and powerful, taking the fight to his man, and any criticism about his weight will have to be eaten if Chisora scores an impressive stoppage win. Above all, let’s hope for a good fight.