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'Lying coward': Deontay Wilder's 'embarrassing' excuse exposed

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·2-min read

Heavyweight Dillian Whyte has called out Deontay Wilder for an “embarrassing” excuse after his defeat to Tyson Fury.

Wilder wanted to make his ring walk prior to his fight with Fury on Saturday special and wore a 40-pound costume as a tribute to Black History Month.

But Wilder said the costume was too heavy and was the reason that he didn’t have his legs under him in his seventh-round TKO loss to Fury.

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But in a 2018 interview with Joe Rogan, Wilder tells him he sometimes trains with heavy weights to help his explosive power.

“We wanted to activate the fast twitch muscles with rapid speed so if I do anything that consists of me moving my feet it’s sprinting,” he said.

“I wear a 45lb vest during all my exercises and everything that I do, to have that extra weight on me.”

Referee Kenny Bayless points to the towel and holds Deontay Wilder.
Referee Kenny Bayless directs US boxer Deontay Wilder to his corner after stopping his World Boxing Council (WBC) Heavyweight Championship Title boxing match against British boxer Tyson Fury. (Photo by John Gurzinski / AFP)

BT Sport also released footage of Wilder training in a weight vest in the promo prior to the rematch.

Whyte used a clip of this interview with Rogan to call out Wilder’s excuse.

Even ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith found the excuse quite poor.

“I’m very fond of Deontay Wilder,” he said on ESPN’s ‘First Take’. “I’ve spoken to him on several occasions away from the boxing arena. I really, really like him. So I hope that he accepts what I’m about to say in the spirit that it’s given.

“This might be the most embarrassing excuse that I have ever heard for a guy losing the fight. I am not questioning it’s validity ... I’m not saying that it may not be true ... he’s an honourable dude; I will take him at his word.

Wilder to take break

He said he will go to Africa at the end of March on vacation and plans to exercise his rematch clause for a third fight with Fury, and that he’ll get back to boxing once he returns from Africa.

Wilder also said he is upset with assistant trainer Mark Breland for throwing in the towel to stop the fight and suggested that Breland will no longer be part of the team on fight night.

He said he was displeased with the work of referee Kenny Bayless, who took a point from Fury in the fifth round, and went out of his way to congratulate Fury on his performance.