Ill-fitting excuses: Tyson Fury responds to Deontay Wilder’s claims that ring-walk costume caused downfall

Newly-crowned WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has responded to Deontay Wilder’s claims that his elaborate ring-walk outfit caused his downfall in the pair’s recent Las Vegas rematch.

British fighter Fury stopped Wilder in the seventh round after a dominant display in which he put the previously unbeaten American on the canvas twice.

Wilder’s corner finally threw in the towel as he shipped heavy punishment in round seven, handing Fury the WBC title.

The Gypsy King reigns supreme: Tyson Fury stops Deontay Wilder to win WBC world heavyweight title in Las Vegas rematch

But after his dismantling Wilder offered the excuse that his extravagant 40lbs ring-walk costume – which consisted of a gem-studded all-black getup with glowing red eyes, designed in honor of Black History Month – was the reason for his defeat.

"Fury didn't hurt me at all, but the simple fact is that my uniform was way too heavy for me," Wilder claimed, earning a fair amount of derision.

"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.”

Fury has now offered his take on that excuse, suggesting that Wilder was merely clutching at straws in the wake of his battering.

“He said that he trains in a 45-pound weighted vest every day, but, you know, I can understand where he’s coming from,” Fury said on ITV’s This Morning, where he was appearing alongside his wife, Paris.

“In every fighter’s mind there’s got to be a reason why they’ve lost. It can never be the simple fact I wasn’t good enough on the night and lost to the better guy.

“It’s always got to be, ‘the camp was wrong, it was the trainer’s fault, it was my suit, it was my toe.’ 

“With me if I’m injured or whatever the problem is it’s like, ‘OK, the performance wasn’t great but I’m going to move on and crack on.’”

Wilder has confirmed he has activated the rematch clause in his contract, meaning he and Fury will likely step into the ring for a third time this summer, with the MGM Grand Garden Arena again touted as the venue.

Fury maintained a dignified stance on the man he also fought to a controversial split-decision in December of 2018, but wanted fans to make no mistake he would be the one with his arm raised again when he next faces Wilder.

“I beat [Wilder] the first time, beat him the second time, I’ll surely will beat him the third time,” Fury vowed.  

“The one thing I will say about Deontay Wilder is he’s a very worthy opponent and he’s a very dangerous opponent and he has that eraser power of 43 knockouts, only the one defeat, and you can never write a guy off like that, of you can never right a guy off like that, it’s always one punch away from disaster with Deontay.

“Like he famously says, ‘they have to be correct for 36 minutes, I have to be correct for one second.’ And that’s so true.”

Fury was less flattering about fellow British pugilist Anthony Joshua, who currently owns the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles and will next meet Bulgarian mandatory IBF challenger Kubrat Pulev in London on June 20.

Many fans are clamouring to see a blockbuster ‘Battle of Britain’ title unification fight between Joshua and ‘Gypsy King’ Fury, who is the world lineal champion and formerly held the belts owned by Joshua after beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, only to lose them all out of the ring as he battled drink, drugs and mental health issues.

© Action Images via Reuters

“I’ve already been the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world when I beat Klitschko. I had all the belts,” Fury said.

“So as far as I’m concerned Anthony Joshua has only got my leftovers because I never lost those belts, I had to vacate them for mental health problems to focus on myself.”

“He is just keeping them warm,” added Fury’s wife Paris.

Many British fight fans in particular will be hoping that both Joshua and Fury can keep hold of their belts a bit longer so that their highly-awaited showdown finally becomes a reality.