Inside the incredible transformations of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk: The Gypsy King is the fittest he's ever been, while the Ukrainian has bulked up for the undisputed Saudi title fight

After months of build-up, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will finally compete for the undisputed heavyweight title in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

The Gypsy King brings his WBC belt to the table and with it, one of the most lucrative careers of the modern era, as he prepares to take on his Ukrainian counterpart.

It’s a bout that has been in the pipeline for quite some time, after their originally scheduled fight in February was postponed when Fury sustained a ‘freak’ cut in training.

Fury has long been regarded as one of Britain’s best ever boxers but there have been suggestions that he could be entering the debate for greatest boxer of all time.

Here, Mail Sport takes a look at the incredible body transformations of both fighters ahead of the highly-anticipated title fight.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will compete for the undisputed heavyweight title on Saturday

Tyson Fury

The Gypsy King looks as ripped as ever ahead of his bout with the Ukrainian.

The heavyweight world will seek to elect a unified champion for the first time in 24 years on Saturday night, with a reported £116million purse up for grabs.

Boxing followers believe Fury is taking his fight with Usyk much more seriously after he scraped through his fight with Francis Ngannou, winning via split decision after being knocked down.

His long-time sparring partner Martin Bakole claimed that Fury didn’t prepare properly for his fight with Ngannou, telling IFL TV: ‘Tyson was not 100 per cent focused in the gym.’

Usyk himself suggested that Fury didn’t take the fight seriously, asking: ‘Was he playing around trying to fool me?’

However, Fury appears to have stepped up the intensity of his training and posted a video in March promising that he would ‘f***ing batter’ his undefeated opponent.

Recently, Fury’s trainer Sugar-Hill Steward spoke on the Gypsy King’s impressive body transformation and insisted it’s ‘the fittest I’ve ever seen him’.

Speaking to GQ, Steward said: ‘He’s pushing himself each fight to get better and better, and he’s doing it only for himself.

Tyson Fury’s incredible body transformation ahead of the Oleksandr Usyk fight has been revealed

His physique is radically different to when he fought Francis Ngannou back in October

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk pre-fight press conference chat

‘Heavyweights don’t have to be this beautiful structure of a human being. It’s about whatever he feels at this particular time, how he wants to look and what makes him feel good. He’s still got some weight on him, but he’s the fittest I’ve ever seen him.

‘A lot of things have changed, which you won’t notice. But I’ve noticed certain movements that he’s able to do because of his fitness.

‘The things he’s doing are just different. His moves are a lot sharper, a lot crisper, which I don’t really comment on but you know – me and him know’.

Fury is no stranger to an incredible body transformation, however, having previously lost a considerable amount of weight on multiple occasions.

The Brit, after he dethroned Deontay Wilder with a seventh-round victory in Las Vegas back in 2020, shared a series of photos with his fans to demonstrate his sensational body transformation.

Before training for his first encounter with the Bronze Bomber, Fury weighed in at 378lbs. But Fury brought coach Ben Davison into his team, hired a nutritionist and was able to fight off the fat during a hectic training regime.

The 31-year-old conquered his demons and shed the required weight for his stellar comeback

Tyson Fury has shared a series of photos to demonstrate his sensational body transformation, from piling on the pounds (top left) to his eventual top fighting shape (bottom right)

Fury shed 10 stone before tussling with Wilder for the WBC title for the first time in December 2018.

And ahead of their second bout, the drastic changes Fury made to his regime were laid bare, with camp manager Timothy Allcock revealed: ‘We definitely had to rope in the food.

‘Tyson never really stuck to the diet plan we gave him last time, he was always nipping out and eating fast food outside the camp – and all that has changed now.’

Fury weighed in at 273lbs – 19.5 stone – for the rematch, and demolished Wilder with a devastating showing – forcing his opponent to trigger a trilogy fight.

Oleksandr Usyk

While Fury has shed plenty of pounds over the years, Usyk has done the opposite and, instead, bulked up a considerable amount.

Saturday’s bout will be the 36-year-old’s sixth bout in the heavyweight division, having made his name – and earned his first world title – at cruiserweight.

He was undefeated in 16 fights at cruiserweight level becoming the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO champion and beat the likes of Tony Bellew, Michael Hunter, Marco Huck and Krzysztof Głowacki.

As such, the Ukrainian had to undergo a sizeable transformation when he made the transition in 2019 ahead of his heavyweight debut against Chazz Witherspoon.

The boxer’s seamless transition to heavyweight has, in part, been aided by his stellar training regime and dedication to his profession.

Usyk was previously a cruiserweight before making the step up to the heavyweight division

Nevertheless, the steady and considered way in which he has gained weight, fight after fight, should be commended and has played a crucial role in his ability to excel in the bigger division.

Usyk has been known to employ a unique and varied training regime that utilises a mix of techniques that have enabled him to excel in the sport.

He focuses on strength and conditioning to bulk up, especially since moving up to the heavyweight division, but has also made note of his love for CrossFit exercises.

A key to his stamina in the ring is his extensive cardiovascular regiment that includes running, skipping, swimming, rowing, ladder drills and heavy bags.

The exercises not only improve his endurance in bouts but also help to build specific muscles, particularly in his lower body, which allow him to maintain a high intensity throughout lengthy clashes.

In 2021, Usyk came up against Anthony Joshua – the heaviest opponent he had faced since Witherspoon in his professional heavyweight debut with the Brit coming in at 240 and 244lbs in their two bouts.

Still, at his heftiest mark of 221lbs Usyk was more than able to withstand Joshua’s weighty blows and maintain the hand speed that enabled him to dominate the cruiserweight division.

The Ukrainian has undergone a huge transformation after becoming a heavyweight boxer

The clash between Usyk and Fury promises to be one of the biggest in memory.

Usyk will bring the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles while Fury holds the WBC heavyweight crown – and there will be a new ‘undisputed’ belt up for grabs.

They will meet in the ring as part of Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.

Fury has been chomping at the bit since the fight was postponed from its original date of February 17 after he suffered a nasty cut above his eye in training.