Tyson Fury heavier than Deontay Wilder at spirited weigh-in

There was no face-off Friday afternoon at MGM Grand Garden. Not from point-blank range, anyway. The Nevada State Athletic Commission barred that earlier this week from weigh-ins after Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury exchanged insults, profanities and shoves before their final press conference Wednesday.

But there still was a staring contest after the undefeated heavyweights stepped on the scales in front a rowdy crowd — and a couple of birds, courtesy of Fury.

The fighters concluded the promotion by weighing in ahead of their heavyweight title fight Saturday at MGM Grand Garden. Wilder (42-0-1, 41 knockouts) weighed 231 pounds and Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) weighed 273. They stood on opposite sides of the stage afterward and engaged in a tense inaudible dialogue.

Fury flashed his middle fingers toward Wilder before exiting the stage.

“By the way he looked on stage, he looks like a scared (expletive) to me,” Fury said. “Las Vegas is mine. The fans have turned out to see the Gypsy King. All my fans are here. We’re ready for a war.”

Wilder and Fury were relatively courteous throughout the promotion until the final press conference, which was laden with obscenities and trash talk. It served it’s purpose, though. MGM Grand Garden was packed to its allotted capacity for the weigh-in, and security turned people and media away.

Exact attendance was not available.

The crowd on hand cheered rather rambunctiously for Fury, who weighed 256.5 pounds during the first fight with Wilder and 254 pounds for his fight in September with Otto Wallin. He says he’s used to the weight now, and reiterated throughout the promotion that he’s seeking a knockout victory Saturday.

“I’ve been holding that weight for the last two months of training camp,” Fury said. “I’ve been sparring every day with it. Training every day, so the weight is not a problem. I’m 273 pounds of pure British beast.”

Wilder also is heavier than he was the first time he fought Fury. He weighted 212.5 pounds the first time, but still packed plenty of power — as evidenced by a pair of knockdowns.

He basked in a chorus of boos as he stepped on and off the stage.

“At the end of the day, we’re heavyweights so it really doesn’t matter about the weight,” Wilder said. “This just indicates I’m in a better state, a better mind than the last time.

“He’s nervous. He changed his camp up. I told him 24 hours. We’re just going to give the fans what they want to see.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.