Deontay Wilder has partially blamed his Saturday night world title fight defeat to Tyson Fury on the outfit he wore to mark Black History Month during his ring walk.
The outfit, made of steel, weighed 40lbs according to the American and fatigued him on his way from the dressing room to the ring.
"It's my own fault," Wilder told The Athletic's Lance Pugmire.
My uniform I wore was very heavy for me. I had no legs from the first round on.
My main focus was to survive with my legs, and not on the principles I know and normally think of. I couldn't follow up with the game plan because of my legs. I couldn't do anything.
Wilder's cornerman Mark Breland threw in the towel in the seventh round with the fighter on the ropes and unable to answer Fury's punches. At that stage, Fury had won every round and knocked Wilder down twice.
"I didn't expect it to be that heavy and have that effect on me,” Wilder continued regarding the outfit.
"That's the thing we didn't test out: walking to the ring. We didn't time it right. It's all my fault. It's a learning process. I really admire Black History Month, and I wanted to pay tribute to all the men and women who came before me, and I risked that over my title. They died for me, they paved the way for me."
Wilder also said that he intends to take up the option of a rematch against Fury.
