Cruiserweight-turned-heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk on Friday weighed in at 217 pounds for Saturday’s fight against Derek Chisora at Wembley Arena in London (DAZN).
That’s two pounds more than he weighed for his heavyweight debut against Chazz Witherspoon a year ago, which the former unified 200-pound champion won by seventh-round knockout.
Still, Usyk will be at a distinct weight disadvantage against Chisora, who weighed 255.5. That’s the longtime contender’s lightest weight since he was stopped by Dillian Whyte in 2018.
“That’s exactly the shape I aimed for,” Usyk told Sky Sports. “It could have been a bit more, but it’s still good. “It’s important to make a good statement on Saturday to avoid hesitation from my opponents in the future.
“Now people say they don’t believe me, they don’t trust me. On Saturday I will make my statement for the heavyweights.”
Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) wore face and body paint for the weigh-in in the spirit of Halloween, including the word “war” painted on his chest.
That appears to be the attitude he will take into the ring.
“I would rather him knock me out, than me do nothing,” Chisora said. “Either I will knock him out or he will quit on his stool. That’s what we’re going for.”
On the undercard, George Kambosos Jr. and Lee Selby both weighed 134 for their lightweight fight.
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