Wilder blaming entrance costume for loss to Fury, angry with Breland for throwing towel
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Deontay Wilder doesn’t want to make excuses, but he’s got a few.
Deontay Wilder plans to exercise the contractual clause for a third fight with Tyson Fury following Saturday’s one-sided loss in Las Vegas, but the 34-year-old former WBC heavyweight titleholder probably isn’t going to impress too many people with some of his other statements after the fight.
Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KO) is blaming the entrance costume he wore for sapping strength from his legs, and that Fury “didn’t hurt (him) at all.” From Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole:
“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, 40-some pounds with the helmet and all the batteries. I wanted my tribute to be great for Black History Month. I wanted it to be good and I guess I put that before anything.”
Wilder is also upset with co-trainer Mark Breland for throwing the towel in round seven, and seems to be suggesting that Breland will no longer be part of the team:
“We’ve talked about this situation many, many years before this even happened. I said as a warrior, as a champion, as a leader, as a ruler, I want to go out on my shield. If I’m talking about going in and killing a man, I respect the same way. I abide by the same principal of receiving. ... [T]his is my life and my career and he has to accept my wishes.”
Wilder also complained about the performance of referee Kenny Bayless, but did offer congratulations to Fury on the win, and said he’s proud of Fury’s achievements.
Regardless of all this, all signs point at the moment to a third meeting between the two this summer. But I can’t imagine this — specifically the costume bit — faring too well with the boxing public.
Personally, I don’t know, it’s just talk. We’ve heard a lot of weird complaints and excuses in boxing over the years. If Wilder shows up and does better next time out, this will just be an odd little moment some people remember.