Darts legend weighed more than Tyson Fury before dramatic four-stone transformation to keep up with game’s ‘young guns’
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD weighed more than Tyson Fury before his dramatic four-stone transformation.
The darts legend previously revealed the reason for his incredible weight loss was so he could keep up with the game’s “young guns”.
Van Barneveld had weighed 21-stone before his body transformation.
His weight was more than that of Fury for his trilogy bout with Deontay Wilder.
The Gypsy King tipped the scales at just under 20-stone before the fight in October 2021.
Fury himself had even weighed over 400lbs before losing 10-stone in a year to come back and beat Wilder twice.
Van Barneveld pulled off a similar transformation over several years, revealing the details of his weight loss in 2015.
“I try to avoid carbohydrates like bread, rice and pasta,” the 2007 PDC World Darts champion explained.
“I say to myself, ‘I will take it only once a day’. So, in the morning I eat egg, salmon, meat or fish.
“Then, in the afternoon, I eat maybe meat or fish. In the evening, I take carbohydrates like potatoes, rice, pasta or bread.
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“I have lost 28kg (4st 5lb) so far. That has taken me three to four years.”
The Dutchman also added: “It has made a massive difference.
“Everyone says, ‘You have lost so much weight, you are getting smaller and smaller’.
“It is a lot better for me, for my eyes, a lot better for my sugar levels.
“But the funny thing is when I was 135kg (21stone) I played a lot better – and I won an awful lot more!”
Eight years on, Van Barneveld is still playing at 56 after coming out of retirement in 2021.
Now ranked 30th in the world, he is also engaged to his partner Julia Evans after popping the question in Paris last year.
However, the couple were recently forced to move their wedding due to the date clashing with one of Van Barneveld’s tournaments.