Deontay Wilder Blames Heavyweight Championship Loss on 45-Pound Black History Month Costume

Photo Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images

Wilder plans to exercise his rematch clause to face Fury again in the summer.

Boxer Tyson Fury recently won the WBC heavyweight title by technical knockout in a grueling seven-round rematch with defending champion Deontay Wilder. The loss was the first in Wilder's 12-year professional career.

In the wake of the loss, Wilder is planning to train for a third matchup against Fury. In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Wilder blames the defeat on his 45-pound pre-match costume. He says the outfit tired him out before the match really even started.

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"He didn't hurt me at all," Wilder said. "The simple fact is...my uniform was too heavy for me. 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."

Wilder's assistant trainer Mark Breland threw the towel after seven shaky rounds. Fury knocked Wilder to the ground twice, and Wilder lost his balance on his own several times as well.

"It could easily be told [that Wilder was fatigued]. A lot of people were telling me, 'it looked like something was wrong with you.' Something was, but when you're in the ring, you have to bluff a lot of things."

Viewers and analysts speculated that Wilder suffered a ruptured eardrum early in the fight. If accurate, the inner-ear damage could affect Wilder's balance in the ring.

Wilder will begin training for the rematch after returning from vacation in March.

H/T: Yahoo Sports