Deontay Wilder Said His Legs Were Weakened By His 45-Pound Ring Entrance Costume

Saturday night’s heavyweight championship fight in Las Vegas was as highly anticipated a bout as there had been in the division in some time. Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury were set to meet for a second time to settle the score from their draw in their first match, the first time either fighter had left the ring without a victory.

After Fury dominated much of the fight, but got sent to the canvas in the 12th and final round of their first bout, there was considerable excitement for the rematch in hopes of a highly competitive and action-packed fight. What ended up happening was a complete destruction of Wilder by Fury, who put the champ down in the third and fifth rounds before Wilder’s corner threw in the towel as he was getting battered in the corner during the seventh.

It was a fairly stunning result, as Wilder never recovered from the vicious right hand that sent him down in the third and had him bleeding from the ear for the remainder of the fight. His legs were wobbly throughout, which as he told The Athletic’s Lance Pugmire on Monday wasn’t helped by the fact that his legs felt weakened by his 45-pound ring entrance attire — and that he’ll be exercising his rematch clause for a trilogy fight, later this year.

Fury entered the ring being carried on a throne, while Wilder trudged from the locker room to the ring in this gigantic costume.

One would expect him to skip some of the theatrics for his ring walk for their trilogy bout and avoid that same issue, but he’ll also come in with likely a new training staff as he is not pleased with their choice to throw in the towel.

Now, it’s important to note that his ring entrance attire was not the reason he got cracked in the ear by Fury’s massive right hand, and while it may have played a role, it certainly is far from an excuse for getting supremely out-classed in the fight. That said, Wilder’s entire appeal is that he is always in the fight until the final bell because of the power in his right hand — the same one that nearly took Fury out in the 12th round last time. From that perspective, it’s somewhat understandable why he would be upset with the towel being thrown in by his corner, but at the same time, you’d be hard pressed to find many that were watching that seventh round that felt his corner made the wrong decision — and it’s very possible referee Kenny Bayless would’ve stepped in shortly anyways if Wilder had continued to stand in the corner taking punches.

In any case, there’s plenty to work on for Wilder going into the third fight with Fury, as he has to find a way to better avoid Fury’s snapping jabs and apply pressure himself to keep him from getting into such a rhythm. That may be the task of a new trainer, but in any case, one can be all but assured that he won’t be wearing 45 pounds of gear before the fight.

Written by: Uproxx