DEONTAY WILDER has certainly beefed up since his first fight with Tyson Fury.
The Bronze Bomber first locked horns with the Brit in December 2018 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, which proved to be the venue for one of the most-talked-about heavyweight fights in recent history.
Defending WBC champ Wilder tipped the scales at 218.5lbs the previous evening – a whooping THREE stone (44lbs) lighter than Fury.
Having felt Fury’s size in their first fight, Wilder opted to put on some size for their rematch last February.
The Olympic bronze medallist stepped on the scales at 231lbs the evening before his reign as WBC heavyweight champion came to an end.
But he struggled to deal with the size and relentless pressure of Fury, who himself had beefed up to 273lbs.
Clearly frustrated by Fury’s strength and weight advantages, Wilder has hit the gym hard over the last 19 months to put on more size.
The 35-year-old put himself through session after session of gruelling strength and conditioning training in a bid to put on some more lean mass.
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And the training – including his bench pressing sessions – has well and truly bore fruit.
Video footage and photos of the Alabama native looking the thickest he’s ever been started doing the rounds before fight week.
And when he stepped on the scale on Friday night, it was clear for all to see that the Olympian had indeed beefed up.
Seconds after he took to the scale, it was announced that his new-and-improved frame weighed 238lbs.
And his hulking muscles were further put on show when he hit a double-bicep pose.
Boxing fans were quick to react, with one saying: “Wilder going for early ko. He’ll be f****d after 3 rounds if not.”
Another said: “Wilder needed to bulk up. This ain’t bodybuilding. He was way too cut before. Both look ready.”
And another said: “Wilder looks huge.”
Former WBA heavyweight champ David Haye said of Wilder’s frame: “Wilder looked great. He looked great.”
Defeat to Fury – who weighed in at 277lbs – was the first of Wilder’s professional career.
And the American is hellbent on exacting his revenge in brutal fashion.
He said: “I see me beating him up and then knocking him out.
“There were a lot of things I visualised in the first fight and the second but I didn’t execute the game plan.
“This is a different feeling, all the way round, just the surroundings, the atmosphere and the energy as a whole.
“I’m looking forward to putting on a great performance.”
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