DEONTAY WILDER is no longer a world heavyweight champion after losing his WBC title in an emphatic defeat to Tyson Fury.
The Bronze Bomber was well beaten by the Gypsy King and saw his corner throw in the towel in the seventh round after continued damage to his ear.
Wilder was rumoured to have suffered a burst eardrum during the fightCredit: Reuters
What is the latest update on Deontay Wilder’s injury?
Reports immediately after the fight suggested that Deontay Wilder had suffered a burst eardrum.
And concern grew for the Bronze Bomber when he was unable to attend his press conference amid rumours he had been taken to hospital.
However, ESPN’s Dan Rafael later tweeted to state that Wilder was not rushed to hospital as he was made to wait in his dressing room to provide a urine sample.
And Wilder’s co-manager Shelly Finkel then said that the he had sustained a cut to his ear, which was stitched up in his dressing room.
After the fight had finished, trainer Jay Deas blasted coach Mark Breland for throwing in the towel.
He said: “Mark threw the towel. I didn’t think he should’ve. Deontay’s the kind of guy that’s the go-out-on-his-shield kind of guy.
“He [Wilder] will tell you, straight up, don’t throw the towel in.”
Following the defeat, Wilder has been handed a six-week medical ban from boxing.
Wilder has since said that he did not suffer a burst eardrum, and it did not affect his balance.
He said: “My eardrum didn’t get busted. Usually, when your eardrum gets busted, you know, it affects certain things. It was just some type of scratch or opening inside of my ear. That was about it.”
Deontay Wilder confirms he DOES want Tyson Fury rematch before end of July and may axe trainer who threw in towel
What happened with Deontay Wilder’s ring walk outfit?
Deontay Wilder was blasted by fans for making the “worst excuse of all time” after he blamed his “heavy” £31k ring walk outfit for his defeat.
The Bronze Bomber came covered head-to-toe in a 45-pound costume for Black History Month.
Wilder notably had little power in his legs during the fight, with many pundits attributing that to the early blows taken from Fury to his ear.
But he told Yahoo: “He didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is … that my uniform was way too heavy for me.
“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.
“It could easily be told that I didn’t have legs or anything. A lot of people were telling me, ‘It looked like something was wrong with you.’
Deontay Wilder claimed his ring walk outfit was too heavy for himCredit: AP:Associated Press
“Something was, but when you’re in the ring, you have to bluff a lot of things.
“I tried my best to do so. I knew I didn’t have the legs because of my uniform.
“I was only able to put it on [for the first time] the night before but I didn’t think it was going to be that heavy. It weighed 40, 40-some pounds with the helmet and all the batteries.
“I wanted my tribute to be great for Black History Month. I wanted it to be good and I guess I put that before anything.”
Will Fury and Wilder have a rematch?
Deontay Wilder has not activated his rematch clause yet, but manager Shelly Finkel says the Bronze Bomber will trigger a trilogy bout.
He told World Boxing News: “Right now, the clause for a third fight with Tyson Fury has not been activated yet.
“Deontay intends to activate it, he wants the trilogy.
“I can confirm Deontay will exercise his right to fight Tyson Fury next. That’s the fight Deontay wants. It will happen next.”
That fight will have to go ahead unless Fury’s team can reach some sort of agreement with Wilder’s for him to step aside.
But Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has said that his preference is to hold a ‘Battle of Britain’ unification bout with Anthony Joshua next.
And he has said that he will explore all options to make that a reality.
Warren told Radio BBC 5 live: “I prefer to go straight to Joshua, but that [Wilder rematch] is the contract.
“It has to be honoured unless we can reach some accommodation for him to step aside.
“We could pay him to step aside if he wants to do that, but that is his choice.”
Under the terms of the contract, the Fury-Wilder trilogy bout must take place by mid-July.
Las Vegas is seen as the likely destination, but Frank Warren is keen to hold it at Old Trafford.
Frank Warren gives his opinion on Deontay Wilder’s ring walk costume after loss to Tyson Fury
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
