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‘Grossly violated’: Team Usyk call for Tyson Fury to shave beard amid concerns

Tyson Fury checked in at a career-high 127kg during the weigh-in, a day before his rematch with heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia.

Britain's Fury was almost 25kg heavier than his opponent, as Usyk weighed over 102kg.

Fury was at 118kg in May when he lost a split decision to Usyk in their first fight.

This is Fury's heaviest weight for a fight, surpassing the 125kg he weighed when he stopped Deontay Wilder in the seventh round of their heavyweight championship bout in February 2020.

"When a 20 stone (127kg) man hits you on the jaw, compared to a man at 17 stone, it's a bit different," Fury told Sky Sports.

Both fighters enaged in a stare off after the weigh-in following their 11-minute effort on Friday. Getty

Usyk, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist from the Ukraine, was slightly heavier than in May, when he fought Fury at just over 101kg.

Fury stands over 2-metres tall, six inches taller than Usyk.

The weigh-in took place at the Wonder Garden in Saudi Arabia.

The opponents stood face-to-face for just a few moments before turning to leave in opposite directions, unlike their official face-off yesterday that took over eleven minutes.

There were reports about concerns from Usyk's team that Fury's beard could cushion punches, but the Brit will keep the beard after a pre-fight meeting.

'Grossly violated': Team Usyk call for Tyson Fury to shave beard amid concerns

But it didn't last as long this time. Getty

Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk said: "Beard rule is grossly violated.

"WBC rules clearly say: 'A boxer may spouse a trimmed beard and/or moustache as long as, in the discretion of the commission and the supervisor, the facial hair thickness does not: (1) cushion or in any way affect the impact or trajectory of punches; or (2) cause cuts or abrasions to his rival.'

"So, Tyson's beard has to be trimmed. We will push it further."

However, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman disputed Krassyuk's claim: "There's a regulation and the boxing commission inspected him and there is no issue.

"Mind games. These are the mind games for a big fight."

Fury's promoter Frank Warren told Sky Sports:

"He has a beard and there's been a lot of fighters over the years who've fought with beards, and that's it."

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