Slimmed-down Tyson Fury ready for ‘war’ in showdown with Whyte

Tyson Fury has promised fans “a real war” when he defends his WBC heavyweight belt against Dillian Whyte at Wembley on Saturday night after weighing in 11lbs lighter than his last fight.

Despite looking a little fleshy around the waist, Fury said he was in great shape for his first contest in Britain in more than three years after stepping on to the scales at 18st 12lbs 13oz - significantly less than the third bout of his trilogy with Deontay Wilder last October.

“Shout and respect to Dillian and his team, proper professional men, and we are going to give you a real fucking fight,” said Fury, who said he was feeling the benefits of a 14-week training camp. “Don’t doubt us. We are going to put a show on. It’s going to be a war.

“People are going to be enjoying this fight because we are putting it all on the line. We’ve both trained very well. As you can see I’m in a fantastic mood, my spirits are high. We’re ready to have a fight.”

Fury, who has an unbeaten record of 31 wins and a draw, with 22 knockouts, wished his opponent luck at the post weigh-in stare down, which was notable for its lack of needle. Not only did both fighters shake hands, they even traded hats before posing for photographs.

“He looks focused, he looks ready,” admitted Fury. “But at the end of the day, he can’t beat the Gypsy King. Nobody can. I’ve proved it time and time again.”

Whyte will enter the ring as a 4-1 underdog, but after weighing in at 18st 1lb, he insisted that he was ready to take full advantage of an overdue shot at the heavyweight title.

“It’s taken a lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of patience,” added Whyte, who has two defeats in 30 fights. “But I’m ready to go to war.”

Whyte has suggested that Fury could be on the slide because