Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn mocked Deontay Wilder for blaming his one-sided defeat to Tyson Fury on his ring walk outfit, after the American announced plans to trigger a rematch clause to complete the trilogy.
Hearn hoped Wilder, whose corner threw the towel in after seven rounds of punishment from the British heavyweight, would decide against stepping back in the ring with Fury leaving the door open for Joshua and his compatriot to put all the heavyweight belts on the line in an all-British affair.
However, the hard-hitting American has come out swinging, threatening to sack co-trainer Mark Breland for throwing in the towel, criticising referee Kenny Bayless, and, most bizarrely, blaming his 40-pound entrance costume for the defeat.
‘I paid a severe price because my legs were how they were because of my uniform,’ he told ESPN of the eye-catching outfit – worn in dedication to Black History Month. ‘My uniform was way too heavy.
‘It was 40-plus pounds. We had it on 10 or 15 minutes before we even walked out and then put the helmet on. That was extra weight, then the ring walk, then going up the stairs. It was like a real workout for my legs. When I took it off, I knew immediately that game has changed.’
Hearn clearly doesn’t think much of Wilder’s excuses and trolled him on social media.
When asked for his reaction to Wilder-Fury III being set, Hearn sarcastically replied: ‘To be fair now I found out he lost because his ring walk outfit was too heavy, I’m glad he’s gonna get another chance.’
Wilder and Fury are set to tango for a third time in June and could be held in a new 72,000 NFL stadium that is currently under construction on the Vegas strip – although his promoter Frank Warren suggested in his Metro.co.uk column that Old Trafford is a possible destination for the bout.
Joshua, meanwhile, is set to take on Pulev in the UK in June, with British boxing fans no doubt hoping they both come through unscathed and set a date for an all-British affair to end 2020.
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