In his hideaway on the Dutch-Belgian border, Tyson Fury is reshaping that gigantic 6ft 9in body in preparation for his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko.
Ever the walking contradiction, the Gypsy King who defied all odds to end Klitschko’s decade-long reign over world heavyweight boxing has given up eating meat yet is building muscle in expectation of inflicting a knockout in next month’s clash.
‘It will be a different fight in Manchester,’ says Fury, who bamboozled Klitschko with a mixture of mind games and agility in Germany when he won last November. ‘Klitschko will have to try something different and I must change to be ready for him.
‘It might seem odd that I’m cutting out red meat. I used to love sitting down to a huge steak but now it’s seafood and fish salad.
‘I used to tell myself that a cow is stronger than a fish. Now when I’m in a restaurant and someone on the next table orders a juicy side of beef I’m disgusted that an animal has been killed to feed him.
‘I feel fitter and sharper on a diet of fish. I’m no longer like the lion who’s gorged himself on a kill and then has to go and lie down in the sun to sleep it off.’
Even so, he is putting on weight so as to withstand the higher ratio of punches he expects Klitschko to throw on July 9.
‘I’m trimming fat but adding muscle,’ he explains. ‘It’s a balancing act. I can’t go under 10 per cent body fat or I’ll feel the punches.
‘I’m bigger on the chest and arms than I’ve ever been. But I’ll still be able to move despite being half a stone heavier than last time, at just under 18 stone.’
Fury’s physical condition is in marked contrast to the blubber he proudly exposed five weeks ago at the press conference. He says: ‘I don’t believe in training every day of the year, like Wladimir.
‘I can go from being a fat pig on the booze to feeling really fit. Go from champagne, vodka, beer and lobster to winning a world title.’
Now, five weeks into 11 weeks of Spartan preparation, Fury — who holds the WBO, WBA and IBO titles — is deep, not only in dedicated training, but virtual isolation.
‘Holland has always been good for me,’ he says. ‘Here I’m away from every distraction. Just me and my team. No visitors. No family.
‘I have to concentrate on Wlad. He will be more dangerous than in the first fight. A wounded animal is always dangerous.
‘I have achieved my childhood ambition by winning the titles. But it’s easier to become champion than stay champion. It’s not my dream any more but it is about living the dream.
‘He would beat anyone else but me. I have destroyed him mentally and physically. When we meet he’ll see I am massive. And I will knock him out. I’m a bull.’
Then he smiles at the thought of how he has become one without devouring a single cow. – Daily Mail