Anthony Joshua weighed in four-and-a-half pounds heavier for this weekend’s huge heavyweight title rematch against Oleksandr Usyk.
The two-time champion tipped the scales in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday at 244½lbs, having clocked in at 240lbs for his comprehensive points defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September.
Such an increase stands to reason given Joshua’s aim of pursuing maximum aggression in a critical contest that he simply cannot afford to lose, looking to utilise his superior strength, size and power from the outset rather than attempting to outbox canny southpaw Usyk, which was his massive undoing in the first bout.
Much of the discussion in the lead-up to Saturday night’s main event in Saudi Arabia had been on the apparently considerable weight gain by Usyk.
The defending WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO world champion - a former undisputed cruiserweight king - was at a career-heaviest 221lbs before a defining victory in north London, just his third contest up at heavyweight.
And many thought the Ukrainian had bulked up further still for the rematch to combat a more aggressive Joshua, with suggestions that his weight had increased by as much as 15kg as he sported what seemed to be a far bigger physique in training and during fight week.
However, Usyk actually weighed in at 221½lbs on Friday, just a quarter-of-a-pound heavier than when he acheived his career-crowning glory.
“You see, your expectations not every time are met,” he said after an intense final face-off with Joshua that lasted for almost two minutes.
