Deontay Wilder says the heavy outfit he wore to his ring walk ahead of Sunday's WBC world title fight with Tyson Fury was to blame for his defeat.
The American claims the costume weighed 40 pounds, and it meant he didn't have the legs to withstand his opponent's punches.
“He didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is my uniform was way too heavy for me,” the American 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. But I’m a warrior and people know that I’m a warrior.”
“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.
“It weighed 40 pounds with the helmet and all the batteries. I wanted my tribute to be great for Black History Month … and I guess I put that before anything.”
Wilder also says he plans to trigger a rematch clause with "The Gypsy King".
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