Tyson Fury’s coach shares the real reason why Tyson will never have a ripped look like Anthony Joshua.
Tyson Fury’s longtime strength and conditioning coach recently shared why the ‘Gypsy King’ doesn’t have the ripped look of his heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua, even though he’s one of the most professional fighters around.
Fury weighed in at 18st 13lb (120kg) before his win over 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in Thailand last Friday (July 24). This fight was seen as a warm-up for a big match against fellow Brit Joshua in 2026. Joshua, who looked super fit and muscular, won his fight in Saudi Arabia the day after.
Fans often talk about Fury’s unique body shape, partly because he’s six feet nine inches tall. Kristian Blacklock, Fury’s strength coach, explained why Fury doesn’t have six-pack abs like many other fighters. One big reason is that Fury once put on about 10 stone after his 2015 fight with Wladimir Klitschko before trimming down again by 2018.
Blacklock called Fury the most professional fighter he’s ever worked with and said Fury is a real endurance athlete. He added that Fury can outrun most heavyweights—and even middleweights and undercard fighters find it tough to keep up with him during runs. Blacklock himself admits he struggles to keep pace with Fury on longer runs.
Although Fury got leaner for his last fight, Blacklock says getting super ripped and very low in body fat wouldn’t help Fury’s boxing. Being too lean means being in a calorie deficit, and that would hurt his performance.
Despite not looking as chiseled as some fighters, Fury lifts weights just like others who look more athletic, such as his training partner Mark “The Warchief” Ahondjo.
For his recent training camp, Fury didn’t follow a strict diet plan but mainly ate simple, healthy foods like fruit bowls, toast and eggs. He also took supplements like magnesium and zinc to help his body perform well. Blacklock kept a close eye on Fury’s weight to make sure he was on track without losing it too fast.
Interestingly, Fury jokes that the little extra fat around his stomach actually helps absorb body punches, acting like a cushion. Blacklock has watched Fury take punches to the body during sparring without getting hurt—he just laughs it off.
Fury is expected to face Joshua later this year, with Blacklock joining his team for what could be one of the biggest fights in British boxing history.