Deontay Wilder's bizarre pre-fight tactics designed to unsettle Tyson Fury spectacularly backfired following his 11th-round stoppage defeat in Las Vegas last night.
As the challenger, Wilder had to enter the ring first, but delayed his walk to the ring in a series of strange events. The Bronze Bomber stood in the middle of a circle surrounded by his entourage, before someone appeared to preach directly to Wilder with the boxer's head bowed.
He also elected to change his gloves at the final moments to further delay his entrance, in what was surely a bid to unsettle Fury.
When he eventually made his way ringside, the 35-year-old was draped in a claret red jacket and mask to signify his quest for Fury's blood.
Advert
It provoked a massive backlash on social media, with fans calling the moves, 's***-house tactics'. Others were seemingly in favour of Wilder's theatrics, turning criticism into praise, saying: "S***housing, got to love a bit of s***housing."
But those best-laid plans to disrupt Fury were ultimately in vain as Wilder was beaten on the night, and the man from Alabama could not shed too much light on the reasons for the defeat.
He said: "I did my best, but it wasn't good enough tonight. I'm not sure what happened.
"I know that in training he did certain things, and I also knew that he didn't come in at 277lbs to be a ballet dancer.
"He came to lean on me, try to rough me up and he succeeded."
The Gypsy King also played his part in the pre-fight histrionics, choosing to dress up as a Spartan soldier and walk out to the tune of to the tune of ACDC's 'You Shook Me All Night Long.'
The 33-year-old was knocked down twice in the fourth round by Wilder, before ultimately prevailing late on in the fight.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Tyson Fury, Boxing, Deontay Wilder