RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Tyson Fury, sporting a stocky beard, a leather jacket, jeans and shoes, weighed in at a career-high 281 pounds Friday night at the Wonder Garden Carnival in his unified heavyweight championship rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday .

Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) was clean-shaven, shirtless and in sweatpants when he weighed 262 pounds in May. The 36-year-old was eliminated in round 9 of the fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship, which he lost via split decision.

Ukraine’s Usyk, the defending heavyweight champion, weighed 226 pounds in a tracksuit with a T-shirt and shoes – a difference of 55 pounds from the challenger. The 2012 Olympic champion was shirtless and jeansless when he scored 223.5 points in his first competition.

There are no weight limits in heavyweight boxing.

Fury’s previous career high weight was reached in February 2020 when he reached 277.7 in his heavyweight championship rematch against Deontay Wilder. Fury won this fight by TKO in the seventh round. When he met Wilder in December 2018, which ended in a draw, Fury boxed from a distance. He was 256½ in this fight.

Fury also used his jab from a distance against Usyk. His increased weight suggests that the Gypsy King may be looking to fight Usyk in a similar manner to the Wilder rematch, when he employed a search-and-destroy strategy of non-stop pressure.

“I’m pretty slim,” Fury told ESPN last week. “I’m fine except for the big beard. I’m in good shape and fit as a fiddle. I’ll be ready for Saturday night.”

Fury kept his camp in Malta rather than England, where he lives, to minimize distractions. He said he had not spoken to his wife Paris for three months as he sought to avenge the first defeat of his illustrious career.

Fury said he was far better prepared this time and had been sparring four times a week.

While sparring for the first fight, which was postponed from February to May, he suffered a severe cut to his left eye. Fury said he barely trained in the five weeks leading up to it because he feared the wound would reopen.

Fury is ESPN’s No. 2 heavyweight prospect. Usyk, 37, is the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer.

The former undisputed cruiserweight champion prevailed in the 200-pound weight class and then won the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles with two victories over Anthony Joshua.

Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) will be competing at heavyweight for the seventh time.

Fury is listed at 6-foot-9 with a reach of 85 inches. Usyk, a southpaw, is 6-3 and has a reach of 78 inches.