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Deontay Wilder's Claims Costume Was To Blame For Defeat Undermined By 2018 Interview

Deontay Wilder's Claims Costume Was To Blame For Defeat Undermined By 2018 Interview

In an interview with Joe Rogan back in 2018, he said he wore a 45lb vest to train in - 5lbs lighter than the costume was

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Fans are calling out boxer Deontay Wilder after he claimed his 40lb costume was to blame for his defeat against Tyson Fury at the weekend, with interview footage from 2018 saying he's used to training in a 45lb vest.

The Bronze Bomber lost his WBC heavyweight title and his undefeated record after his corner threw in the towel in the seventh round, with Fury dominating the fight from start to finish.

Following the fight, Wilder claimed the bulky costume he wore for his ring walk drained his legs before the action got underway.

PA

Speaking to Yahoo Sports, he said: "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. But I'm a warrior and people know that I'm a warrior. It could easily be told that I didn't have legs or anything.

"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. I tried my best to do so.

"I knew I didn't have the legs because of my uniform. I was only able to put it on [for the first time] the night before, but I didn't think it was going to be that heavy.

"It weighed 40, 40-some pounds with the helmet and all the batteries. I wanted my tribute to be great for Black History Month. I wanted it to be good and I guess I put that before anything."

But now interview footage has resurfaced from 2018, in which Wilder specifically said he wore a 45lb vest to train in.

In the interview with Joe Rogan, Wilder said: "We do everything at rapid speed, if we do anything which consists of me moving my feet, it's a sprint.

"I wear a 45lb vest on me as well for all my exercises and everything I do to have the extra weight on."

PA

This weekend's costume was in tribute to Black History Month, and was created by Los Angeles couturier Cosmo and Donato.

The two people behind the company, Cosmo Lombino and Donato Crowley, have since said in a statement they will continue to work with Wilder, in spite of his comments regarding the ring walk suit.

Donato said in the statement: "Deontay Wilder called me at home last night.

"We had an extensive honest conversation that put confusion and rumours to rest. Reiterating that he considers us 'family', Deontay was very clear that he looks forward to future collaborations. The subject of the call then turned to 'Wilder vs Fury III'."

Cosmo added: "All of us consider it a privilege to contribute to the cultural professional legacy of the iconic Deontay Wilder.

"As a fashion organization, I see no greater honour or responsibility that our team could be entrusted with."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News, Boxing, Deontay Wilder