Deontay Wilder Says His Legs Were Wore Down From 40 Pound Suit, Third Fury Fight Confirmed

Former WBC Heavyweight title holder Deontay Wilder experienced his first loss on Saturday to Tyson Fury after Wilder’s trainer threw in the towel during the seventh round.

Wilder was drafted in a crystal clear one-sided fight. The 34-year-old boxer stated that he knew the moment he got into the ring, that there was something wrong with his legs. He said his defeat to Fury was due to the ridiculous weight of the boxer’s pre-fight costume he wore during the walkout to the ring.  Wilder wore an all-black, glowing costume that was a tribute for black history month. With all of this access weight that the boxer had on his body pre-fight his legs were shot.

“There were a lot of things that went wrong leading up to the fight, in the last minutes before the fight, but I accept full responsibility,” Wilder said. “I paid a severe price because my legs were how they were because of my uniform. My uniform was way too heavy. It was 40-plus pounds. We had it on 10 or 15 minutes before we even walked out and then put the helmet on. That was extra weight, then the ring walk, then going up the stairs. It was like a real workout for my legs. When I took it off, I knew immediately that the game has changed.”

Wilder continued, “He didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is … that my uniform was way too heavy for me.”

With Wilder’s loss to Fury, he and his team are “definitely” exercising their right for a rematch against the New England Champion. Wilder said he plans to take a trip to Africa and will resume training once he gets back to the U.S. He has 30 days to accept a third fight.

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“This summer with no fights in between,” Wilder stated. “I’m a warrior and I’m ready to go again, but we’re going to change a lot of things in camp.”