Nutritionist lifts lid on transforming Tyson Fury

Image source, Greg Marriott

Image caption, Marriott has been living with Fury for seven months in preparation for his blockbuster fight

Athletes often leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of sporting success.

Seven months ago, Tyson Fury enlisted the help of Sheffield-based nutritionist Greg Marriott ahead of this weekend’s heavyweight showdown against Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia.

The pair have been inseparable ever since, with Marriott even joining the Furys on holiday and moving into their family home in Morecambe.

He tells the BBC what it’s been like preparing the Gypsy King for the clash.

Marriott, 41, was in a coffee shop when the call from Tyson Fury came through in November.

Speaking from a sun lounger at Fury’s hotel in Riyadh, briefly pausing the call to laugh and joke with the man himself, Marriott recalls being asked how he fancied “being part of history” over a FaceTime chat.

He had first worked with Fury ahead of his 2018 comeback, which saw the boxer shed nine stone (57kg) in weight, having reportedly weighed 28 stone (178kg) at his heaviest.

‘Pandemonium’

Marriott normally lives in Sheffield with his wife and their four children, but he determined a temporary trip across the Pennines to camp out with Fury, his wife and their seven children was essential to achieve his aims.

“He didn’t look that good against [Francis] Ngannou, so I thought I needed to get to him as quick as possible,” explains Marriott, who embarked on a career in nutrition after recovering from cancer at the age of 27 and having worked in fast food restaurants in his younger years.

“He’s never going to be body-beautiful – to get him looking body-beautiful it would take a year or two,” he adds. “For this camp, it was about being fit and strong.”

With Fury’s undisputed champion status on the line, preparations for the biggest fight of his career – and the biggest boxing showdown of the 21st century – began in earnest.

At the outset, Marriott accompanied the Furys on a family holiday to Jeddah, before dodging the “pandemonium” of their home in Morecambe in favour of the relative calm of an adjacent annexe.

“I said ‘It’s not a holiday for you’,” recounts Marriott. “It can be for your kids and your missus, but for you, that’s the start of training camp.”

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Undisputed status is on the line for Fury in Saudi Arabia

Fury, who stands at 6ft 9ins (2.05m), is a larger-than-life character who frequently divides opinion.

But Marriott insists he has an entirely different persona away from the cameras.

“He’s a very, very down-to-earth man. He’s genuine, soft, and will do anything for you.

“It’s no secret that he’s suffered with mental illness in the past. All the greats are walking this tightrope – Tyson is the same in that respect.

“This is an entertainment business, and he’s entertaining people.”

McDonalds trips and runs along Morecambe Bay became part of Fury’s training regime, which has seen the self-styled Gypsy King hailed for his conditioning in the build-up to Saturday night’s fight.

“He came round to the annexe for all his meals,” says Marriott, who established a similar set-up with Kell Brook for seven months ahead of his fight against Amir Khan in 2022.

“The highlight of the day was going to McDonald’s for a black coffee and talking about life.”

‘Phenomenal shape’

Despite Fury weighing in at his lightest since 2019 ahead of Saturday’s hotly anticipated bout, his nutritionist – whose clients also include professional footballers, as well as boxers – says the secret has been eating more, not less.

The occasional “cheat meal” has been sanctioned too – even during fight week.

“A nice steak, a bit of veg and some sweet potato fries – you can have that and it’s not dirty,” he says, disclosing Fury’s dinner order for the evening ahead.

“He’s not a big eater. Before he came on this camp, he would have two meals a day and a protein shake. He’s never eaten as much!

“If I wasn’t doing my job properly, they [clients] wouldn’t be in phenomenal shape.”

Marriott feels Fury has come on “leaps and bounds” since his heavily-criticised performance against MMA star Ngannou, who was making his professional boxing debut at the time.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Critics slammed Fury for his performance and conditioning when he fought Ngannou in October

“It’s the mental aspect with Tyson,” he says. “He sits on the end of my bed every night and we have a little chat.”

“He came into my room the other night and he just had such a smile on his face. I said, ‘what’s wrong?’ and he said, ‘nothing, I’m just in a really good place'”.

Marriott adds: “I’m just worried we will never see this Tyson Fury again after this fight.

“We bounce off each other. You can’t beat it when someone trusts you completely with their life – because he’s going to war.”