Tyson Fury gives up 'disgusting' meat ahead of Wladimir Klitschko bout

“It’s got to the point where, if the man next to me at the restaurant is eating a big juicy steak, I’m like: ‘Urgh, that’s disgusting.'”

Fury's pre-fight diet has consisted of salad, fish and potatoes (Getty)

Tyson Fury has claimed that he finds meat ‘disgusting’, having cut it out of his diet as he prepares for his world heavyweight title rematch against Wladimir Klitschko.

The 27-year-old claimed the WBA and WBO crowns with victory over Klitschko in Dusseldorf last November and faces the Ukrainian again this summer, in a rematch at the Manchester Arena on July 9.

Fury taunted his opponent at their pre-fight press conference in April by removing his shirt and noting how Klitschko could not even beat ‘a fat man’.

In the time since, however, Fury’s waistline has slimmed down and he has lost a significant amount of weight. According to the Wythenshawe-born fighter himself, it is all thanks to giving up meat.

“It’s got to the point where, if the man next to me at the restaurant is eating a big juicy steak, I’m like: ‘Urgh, that’s disgusting,’” he told The Guardian.

“It can’t be good for you eating a big piece of bloody meat like a steak because, unless you are rearing your own animals, it is very contaminated.”

Fury’s diet in the build-up to the Klitschko fight has consisted mainly of salad, fish and potatoes, though the regime has not led to him enjoying vegetables any more.

“I have to force feed myself them because of my job,” he said. “The only ones I like are sweetcorn and mushy peas and potatoes.”

Like many boxers before him, Fury tends to abandon any rules regarding his diet when outside of a training camp and admits to putting on three stone after celebrating his win in Dusseldorf.

Ricky Hatton, another Manchester-based fighter, infamously earned the nickname ‘Ricky Fatton’ for the manner in which he would balloon between bouts.

Two years ago, Fury’s heavyweight rival David Haye decided to become a vegan having seen a television programme about farming.

"I watched a TV documentary about how animals are farmed, killed and prepared for us to eat," he told The Independent in 2014.

"I saw all those cows and pigs and realised I couldn't be a part of it any more. It was horrible. I did some research to make sure I could still obtain enough protein to fight and, once satisfied that I could, I stopped. I'll never go back."