Stephen A Smith BLASTS Deontay Wilder for Blaming Loss on a Walkout Costume
ESPN analyst and personality Stephen A Smith has recently enjoyed inserting himself into the world of combat sports. Especially ever since the UFC made ESPN its exclusive broadcast partner. Prior to the UFC being on ESPN, Smith always displayed his love for boxing. So after Fury vs Wilder II, Stephen A made his feelings clear on Wilder’s “excuse” for his loss. Deontay blamed the loss on his 40lb costume that he wore out to the ring which caused leg fatigue. In Stephen A Smith’s mind, the costume excuse is one of the most embarrassing justifications he has ever heard.
Fury vs Wilder II
Throughout the fight, Tyson was able to land some hard shots to Wilder. One allegedly did some damage to Wilder’s eardrum, throwing off his equilibrium for the remainder of the fight. Furthermore, Fury was able to knock down Wilder on two separate occasions.
Ultimately, Fury was able to corner Wilder and unleash a flurry of shots that ended the bout in the 7th round. The loss came by way of TKO from Wilder’s corner throwing in the towel.
After the fight, Wilder spoke to the media. During the exchange, he made it clear that he would never want the towel thrown in during his fights. He would much rather go out on his shield.
Also, Wilder took nothing away from Fury and praised his efforts saying that the better man won. However, he also said that his walkout costume that weighed 40lbs significantly reduced his ability to perform giving him leg fatigue.
Stephen A on Wilder’s Costume
That’s when Stephen A lost it. Speaking on his show “First Take,” Smith let the world know how he felt about Wilder’s excuse.
“This might be the most embarrassing excuse that I’ve ever heard for a guy losing the fight,” Stephen A. Smith said on First Take. “I am not questioning its validity, Max. I’m not saying that it may not be true. I’m not questioning it, he’s an honorable dude. I will take him at his word but my god this is just not something you publicize.”
Stephen A continued, “The outfit that you wore to the ring, wearing over 40 pounds is why you think you lost this fight? What the hell you wear it to the ring for? According to the reports, you tried it on the night before. You knew how much it weighed at that particular moment in time,” he continued. “Why would you do that? Why would you go out, and I understand it is black history month and all of that. You know, honor everybody by winning not by honoring people with an outfit on. That’s not what wins you fights. If you wear something, wear something you always wore. As opposed to something this different, experimenting in the biggest fight of your career.”
Validating the Reasoning
“Costumegate” certainly came as a surprise to many. Especially after Wilder was so adamant about not making any excuses and accepting the loss as a true warrior. But, now that the news is out for public consumption, is it a valid excuse? And, if it is, should Deontay have kept it to himself?
