Deontay Wilder has blamed his heavyweight title defeat against Tyson Fury on the three-stone costume he wore to the ring to celebrate Black History Month.
Confirming that he intends to activate his rematch clause against newly-crowned WBC heavyweight champion Fury, Wilder revealed that he had no energy left in his legs following his ring walk after wearing an extravagant costume to pay tribute to the annual celebration of African-American history.
The 40 – year-old claimed that he was not able to try the – pounds outfit on until the night before Saturday’s fight, when it was too late to change his plans.
Download the new Independent Premium app
Sharing the full story, not just the headlines
Speaking to Yahoo Sports after the seventh-round defeat, Wilder said: “He did not hurt me at all, but the simple fact is my uniform was way too heavy for me.
“I did not 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 44, 70 – 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 has 36 days from the fight to trigger his rematch clause, which he intends to do, and under the terms of his pre-fight agreement with Fury, the trilogy fight must take place before the end of July, giving the pair five months to agree to terms and hold what would be one of the highest-earning heavyweight contests in boxing history.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings