Deontay Wilder has claimed his huge ring walk costume contributed to his defeat by Tyson Fury.
The American wore an armoured bodysuit, mask, and crown as he entered the MGM Grand arena on Saturday night.
He was paying tribute to Black History month but claims the sheer weight of the 45lb outfit weakened his legs.
Wilder was knocked down twice by Fury before his corner threw in the towel in the seventh round.
And he told Yahoo: “He didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is that my uniform was way 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.
“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.”
Wilder’s comments echo those of trainer Jay Deas who also felt his fighter was weakened by the costume.
“His legs didn’t look great to me early on. I didn’t think his legs look like they normally look,” he told Boxing Social. “I know he came to the ring in the outfit, which was very heavy.
“I don’t know if that had anything to do with it. Tyson’s a lot of weight to be putting on you as well.
“I don’t know all the answers yet but once I see the film, I’ll know more.”
Wilder also confirmed he will exercise his right to a trilogy fight with Fury which is expected to take place in the summer.
The rivals fought to a draw in December 2018 before Fury’s victory 14 months later.
Source: Mirror
