Fury lighter than opponent for first time in 15 years

What the report says

Nile Post, carrying a BBC Sport report, says Tyson Fury weighed in lighter than an opponent for the first time in 15 years ahead of a heavyweight fight with Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday. Fury was listed at 18st 13lb, or 120kg, while Wach came in at 20st 11lb, or 132kg — a difference of 26lb.

The report says the bout is set to take place before about 1,500 spectators and without a television broadcaster. Fury, 37, is described as having 35 professional wins, two losses and one draw, while Wach, 46, is a veteran heavyweight. At the weigh-in, Fury appeared relaxed alongside Wach and said he was pleased to be in Thailand, referring to himself as “Mr Slim.”

According to the article, this is only the fourth time in Fury’s professional career that he has weighed less than the boxer across from him. The previous examples cited were bouts involving Derek Chisora in 2011, John McDermott and Daniil Peretyatko. Fury was also reported to be 3lb lighter than he was for his April fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov.

The matchup matters mainly because it is being framed as part of Fury’s effort to stay active and potentially build toward a long-discussed fight with Anthony Joshua. Nile Post reports that Joshua has his own warm-up bout against Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The article also notes that Wach has lost seven of his past 10 fights, including a knockout defeat to Moses Itauma two years ago.