Friday 29 April 2016 16:41, UK
Tyson Fury branded himself a "fat man" but which other heavyweights have won world titles without needing a six-pack?
Debate rages as to the relevance of athleticism (or at least aesthetic perceptions of athleticism) to heavyweight boxing. In one corner, we have the relatively care-free Fury insisting fighting pedigree is all-important and in the other, a chiselled Anthony Joshua offering him weight-loss advice.
WBA 'Super' and WBO champion Fury recently went into camp for his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko determined to lose three stone and three pounds and is engaged in a running social media battle with IBF holder and probable future opponent Joshua.
At a press conference for the Klitschko return bout in Manchester, Fury accepted Joshua's assertion he is 'fat' - but having seen him maintain an impressive pace of footwork in snaring the belts in Dusseldorf, it's clear athleticism can at times belie appearance.
Few of boxing history's world heavyweight champions have been as 'cut' as Joshua, so here we champion several who defied concerns (and in many cases, jibes) over their physique to reach the summit of the sport. As Fury himself says: "You can't grow muscles on your chin."
In a bid to avoid taking further colossal bets on Mike Tyson, a bookmaker in Las Vegas had upped his price on James 'Buster' Douglas to 42-1 by that infamous 1990 fight night. Hardly anybody in the world thought Douglas had any chance of seizing the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles in Tokyo.
Seven months prior, Douglas had outpointed Oliver McCall to earn his shot. He shed a further 11 pounds for his date with 'Iron Mike' and, despite not appearing on the surface to be capable of coping with the champion's speed and power, hauled himself up from a ninth-round knock down to stun the world by stopping Tyson in the next session.
Douglas enjoyed eight months as world heavyweight champion, piling on 14½ pounds before losing his crowns to Evander Holyfield via third-round stoppage.
Perhaps one of boxing's more underrated champions, Bowe lost just once in a 44-fight professional career - and that was a controversial majority decision defeat to Holyfield in 1993.
The burly New Yorker accredited 'maggot juice' and a rigorous diet he made no secret of hating for the glory of his initial victory over Holyfield, which earned him the WBC, WBA and IBF world titles. By the time he defended against the same opponent almost exactly a year later, he had put on nearly a stone.
Bowe continued to halt later opponents that included Herbie Hide and Holyfield with relative ease and went on to weigh in for his penultimate fight at 20st. Bowe would later respond: "They say you are what you eat but I don't remember eating a legend."
Most picture Foreman as the fearsome, brooding presence suddenly shattered by the brilliance of Muhammad Ali in the 'Rumble in the Jungle' in 1974, but the giant Texan eventually rebuilt his career to reign again without the hair, the moustache and without a physique quite so intimidating.
More than 20 years after that classic in Zaire, Foreman became the oldest world heavyweight champion in history at the age of 45 when he stopped a 27-year-old Michael Moorer for the WBA and IBF crowns. He had weighed in for the bout exactly 30lbs heavier than when facing Ali.
The same year, Foreman launched his famous fat-reducing grill, used by many modern-day fighters including Scott Quigg.
In this 2003 picture, laid out on the canvas in front of the celebrating Sanders is the great Wladimir Klitschko. Despite being small in relation to some heavyweights, Sanders was a knockout specialist and won a version of the world title with a one-round stoppage of Alfred Cole.
Klitschko was widely expected to retain his WBO world title when the pair met in Hannover, but walked into a trademark southpaw left from Sanders in the second round and was knocked down three more times before the referee intervened to save him from further punishment.
Sanders was tragically shot and killed during an armed robbery in September 2012.
Before the mud flies, it's important to make clear that Toney's 2005 WBA world title victory over John Ruiz was wiped after he tested positive for a banned substance. That doesn't alter the fact that Toney achieved some extraordinary things throughout his career despite seemingly enjoying the high life.
A supremely gifted mover, Toney won world titles at middleweight and super-middleweight before suffering his first career defeat in his 47th fight to Roy Jones Jr. By the time he fought Ruiz in his 75th, Toney weighed 16½ stone despite standing at just 5'10".
Following the end of his colourful boxing career, Toney lost to Randy Coutoure in a mixed-martial arts bout.
British fight fans will remember the almost unbelievable disparity in size between Valuev and David Haye when the Londoner secured a majority decision to take the WBA world title in Nuremberg. The Russian stood 7ft tall and regularly weighed in at around 23st.
'The Beast from the East' was a formidable proposition in the ring and beat the likes of John Ruiz, Monte Barrett and Holyfield. With hair covering much of his colossal frame, Valuev fought in his hometown of St Petersburg during his early career before moving to Germany.
Following defeat to Haye, Valuev hung up his gloves.
