Stephen A. Smith was adamant prior to Deontay Wilder’s fight against Tyson Fury that the former would come through with a convincing win. Of course, Smith was proven wrong as Fury completely dismantled Wilder in seven rounds. In fact, the fight could have been stopped a lot sooner although it was clear that Wilder wanted to keep going no matter what. Since the conclusion of the fight, Wilder has been adamant that it was his pre-fight costume that kept him from being successful. Wilder said the costume was 40 pounds and that it made his legs weak.
Yesterday on ESPN’s First Take, Smith spoke out about Wilder’s excuse and effectively put the heavyweight on blast. Smith didn’t necessarily disagree with Wilder’s theory, although he felt as though it was embarrassing and ridiculous for Wilder to make such an excuse public.
You could tell Smith was upset with Wilder who he truly believed in prior to the fight. Wilder’s excuse is fairly laughable regardless of what he was trying to accomplish with the costume. Accusing your pre-fight attire as the reason for your loss simply won’t cut it when millions of dollars are on the line. Even Max Kellerman was surprised by Wilder’s admission and in a rate state of affairs, he ended up agreeing with Smith.
In the future, we’re sure Wilder will be scaling back on his pre-fight suits. His legs will surely be thanking him.
