Tyson Fury is halfway through his weight loss journey.
Having ballooned up to 27 stone in his two years out of the ring, Fury is dedicating himself to getting back into fighting shape as he looks to make a dramatic comeback in 2018.
With the ultimate goal of meeting Anthony Joshua in a lucrative heavyweight showdown, Fury is aiming for a return in April and will likely take a tune-up fight or two before he will be trusted to headline a pay-per-view opposite ‘AJ’.
It’s expected that Fury’s suspended licence will be reviewed by the British Boxing Board of Control this month and while that issue gets ironed out, he’s busy putting in work in the gym.
“He has lost nearly four stone. But it’s not just about the weight, you have to be mentally right as well. A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter,” Fury’s nutritionist Greg Marriott told Sky Sports.
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“It’s about weight management at the moment. He’s not training hard while he’s heavy because he’s prone to injury, so he’s doing low intensity stuff and managing his diet. He’s breaking into training easily.
“It’s not about whatever weight he’s at. It’s about how he feels. Like Billy Joe Saunders, they had never [cut weight] properly before – killing yourself in the gym after a protein shake is not the right thing to do.”
Fury’s ban for testing positive for a banned substance in 2015 was recently backdated two years, freeing the 29-year-old up to pursue fight options.
It has been reported that he could clash with former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs in spring and ‘2 Fast’ is targeting a return weight of 18-and-a-half stone.
He’s currently on a dedicated nutrition regimen put in place by Marriott and while he has had to cut back on his favourite dish, fish and chips, he is allowed the occasional cheat meal.
“Tyson is on a ketogenic diet,” Marriott explained. “People say that’s a fad diet, but Tyson is doing low intensity training at the moment. A ketogenic diet consists of high fats, minimal carbohydrates and some protein.
“He’s on 3,500 [calories] per day. For example, if you have 1,000 calories but you expend 1,000 calories in the gym, you’re on nil. When you try to cut weight [without enough calories] then you hit the wall, and you fatigue. This is where lots of fighters come unstuck. Tyson needs to be on 3,500 calories a day but, when he’s expending 2,000 calories in the gym, he will need to be on 5,500 calories a day. You can then start cutting weight – this is the healthy way to do it.”
