Fury promoter slams Wilder over costume excuse, wants rematch waived: 'He's made some stupid statements'
After demolishing Deontay Wilder in Saturday’s heavyweight title about, it was all “love and respect” from newly crowned WBC champion Tyson Fury for his vanquished opponent.
Days later, Wilder’s not getting the same treatment from Fury’s promoter.
Frank Warren spoke with The Telegraph about the fight and what’s next for Fury for a story published Thursday. He’s ready to move on from Wilder and is less-than impressed with his post-fight claim that his extravagant walk-in costume cost him his legs for the fight.
Warren wants to pay off Wilder to nix rematch
Both fighters went into Saturday’s bout with a clause allowing for an immediate rematch. Wilder is expected to enact the clause for a third fight between the previously undefeated heavyweights. Warren is hoping he can convince him to pass.
That convincing, of course, would arrive via a payout.
“It would be expensive — but who knows?” Warren told The Telegraph. “The only way you find it is if you try.”
Joshua already has a fight lined up
The hope for Fury’s team would be to set up a title unification bout with IBF-WBA-WBO champion Anthony Joshua. But those hopes took a hit later Thursday when Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole reported that Joshua’s next bout will be a mandatory defense against Kubrat Pulev on June 20 in the United Kingdom.
Any Joshua-Fury matchup would have to get in line behind that bout regardless of what happens with Wilder’s rematch clause.
Either way, Warren’s not here for Wilder complaining about his costume.
‘He’s made some stupid statements’
“He’s made some stupid statements, I think,” Warren said of Wilder. “I hoped he’d take the defeat as I think he should have done – with grace.
“All that nonsense about the costume was garbage.”
Warren’s remarks come in response to Wilder’s claim that that his 40-pound ring-walk costume complete with body armor, head gear, batteries and lights sapped his energy.
“He didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is ... that my uniform was way too heavy for me,” Wilder told Iole on Monday. “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.”
Rematch or not, it’s safe to assume that Wilder will tone down his ring-walk garb for his next fight.
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