Tyson Fury’s coach claims Klitschko’s team manipulated weighing scales ahead of world title bout

14 Aug, 2018 18:21 / Updated 6 years ago

Ben Davison, coach for former heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, claims that Klitschko’s team were intimidated by their fighter’s size ahead of their 2015 bout and tampered with the scales in an effort to negate Fury’s size advantage.

Fury, who is still undefeated as a professional, defeated then-champion Klitschko in Dusseldorf in November 2015 in the Ukrainian boxer’s first loss in eleven years to win the lineal heavyweight championship of the world.

British heavyweight has fought just once since then, a rout of unheralded opponent Sefer Seferi in June, and in advance of his upcoming bout in Northern Ireland against Francesco Pianeta. Davison has made some stunning claims, alleging that Klitschko’s team tampered with the weighing scales so as to avoid intimidating their fighter with Fury’s true size.

The Gipsy King weighed in at 17st 8lbs (246lbs) officially for the Klitschko fight but Davison claims that Fury’s true weight was closer to 18st 5lbs (257lbs) and that the scales were rigged to alter the British fighter’s weight.

In June, Fury clocked in at 19st 10lbs (276lbs), a remarkable drop from the weight during his boxing hiatus which reportedly swelled to as much as 27 stone (378lbs).

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Frank Warren, who promotes Fury, said earlier this year that his fighter would have to continue to drop weight in order to attain his optimum fighting weight.

“Tyson needs to lose even more weight before he fights on Carl Frampton's card at Windsor Park on August 18. He is also aware there will be a higher caliber opponent,” Warren told to the Daily Mail in June.

“We didn't try to kid anyone that Seferi was anything other than someone to help him ease into his comeback. Taking off all those stones in less than three months is physically draining and he also had to start shaking off the ring rust after such a long lay-off.

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“The clamor for Fury to set about regaining the several belts he gave over to Anthony Joshua will be resisted until next summer. Tyson needs more time and more fights.

If, as expected, Fury is successful in his second comeback bout this weekend it is heavily rumored that he will be in line for a box office bout with undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.