As fans have read by now, former WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder has made up his mind: he will exercise the rematch clause he has in his contract and he will fight Tyson Fury a third time; possibly as soon as this summer. Considering the absolute beating Wilder took on Saturday night, this is surprising in itself (although, as some people had said before Wilder decided he wanted the third fight with Fury, where else does he go?)
But what is truly shocking in the bizarre excuse Wilder has come out with for his seventh round TKO loss: his heavy ring walk uniform/costume. That’s right, Wilder – who even more unbelievably says Fury “never hurt me” – is saying the 40-pound outfit he wore into the ring at The MGM Grand is the real reason he lost; the costume was way too heavy and this took his legs away.
“He didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is that my uniform was way too heavy for me,” Wilder told Yahoo Sports. “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. 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.”
So, are you buying it? Do you for a second believe Wilder when he says he was never hurt? Not a chance. Of course, being the warrior that he proved on Saturday he genuinely is (what a beat-down Wilder took and he didn’t quit; his corner pulling him out, this, Wilder says, angered him) Wilder is going to talk tough and say Fury didn’t hurt him – how else could he enter the ring for a third fight with Fury? But the whole costume was too heavy excuse really is a wild one.
A losing fighter always has an excuse for losing, but you might have to go back to Wladimir Klitschko’s “there was too much Vaseline on my legs” excuse of a loss after his crushing defeat to Lamon Brewster in 2004 to find one as odd as this (and there were also suggestions, nothing ever proven, that Wladimir was drugged in the Brewster fight).
The big question, aside from is Deontay Wilder delusional, is can Wilder possibly have any chance when it comes to beating Fury? Yes, Wilder will always have that big punch, but as he has now found out twice, that’s no way near enough to defeat Tyson Fury.
It will be interesting to hear Fury’s reaction to Wilder wanting to fight him once again. And his opinion on his foe’s excuse for losing to him.