Deontay Wilder roasted after blaming Tyson Fury defeat on ring-walk costume
Deontay Wilder has been ridiculed after claiming the reason he lost his WBC heavyweight crown to Tyson Fury not because of the Brit’s fearsome punching power but due to being exhausted from wearing a 45lb costume to the ring.
The American appeared a shadow of the fighter who has been one of the heavyweight boxing’s most destructive forces in recent years, as the aggressive Fury dominated the fight from the opening bell with a gameplan which suffocated any momentum Wilder was able to engineer.
The fight appeared all but over in the third round when Fury landed a clubbing blow behind Wilder’s left ear which sent him sprawling to the canvas. From that point on it appeared as if Wilder’s legs were gone and the end, when it came, appeared to save him from further punishment.
However, in his first comments since the defeat Wilder blamed the reasoning for the loss, not on the 58 significant strikes landed by Fury throughout the contest but on the black and gold armour he wore to the ring as a tribute to Black History Month.
Wilder has made a reputation for his colourful ring-walks but this time around he said that the costume, which comprised of armour, a mask and a crown, hindered him when the fight began.
“Fury didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is that my uniform was way too heavy for me,” he said to Yahoo! Sports.
“I didn’t have no legs from the beginning of the fight – in the third round, my legs were just shot all the way through. I was only able to put it on [for the first time] the night before but I didn’t think it was going to be that heavy.
“It weighed 40 pounds with the helmet and all the batteries. I wanted my tribute to be great for Black History Month … and I guess I put that before anything.”
That was an excuse, however, which did not hold water with many observers.
bruh. deontay wilder is a beast. in fact, i thought he was going to win. but him blaming his horrible performance on the WEIGHT of his walk-out costume is the equivalent of me waking up and sneezing three times. cut the shit
— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) February 25, 2020
Wilder blaming his ring walk costume that weighed 40lbs for his legs going at the start of the fight. Wilder with the costume weighed 270lbs. Fury weighed that much without it and his legs were absolutely great 😂
— CR Boxing (@CRBoxing) February 24, 2020
in the 35yrs that i’ve closely followed this sport, this by far, is the funniest fucking excuse i’ve ever heard
— Reldog (@LHomer77) February 24, 2020
Wilder has indicated to The Athletic that he will trigger the rematch clause in his contract which will align the third fight between both men most likely later this year, which will shelve plans for a lucrative winner-takes-all heavyweight clash between Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Regardless of how it came about, Wilder is dissatisfied with not just the conclusion to Saturday’s fight but the manner in which it came about. Mark Breeland, the man who threw the towel in before the end of the 7th round, isn’t certain to return for any future fight – and Wilder made clear his reasoning for this.
“I’d rather die in the ring than have the towel thrown in,” he said. “I’m a warrior.”
