Skip to main content

When Deontay Wilder suggested his defeat at the hands of Tyson Fury could, in part, be attributed to his flashy entrance costume, there were plenty of eyebrows raised.

The former heavyweight boxer claimed in the days following his recent loss — the first of his career — that the bejewelled outfit he wore to the ring weighed around 45-pounds, and as such left him with no strength in his legs.

According to Israel Adesanya, a man who’s no stranger to charismatic ring walks, that doesn’t exactly make sense. For him, Fury was simply the better boxer on the night — and may have even had the better entrance as well.

“Everybody keeps talking about Deontay, but look at ‘Gypsy King’,” Adesanya said today at the UFC 248 open workouts. “His walkout was phenomenal. He had four chicks carrying him on a stretcher thing with a throne. That’s beautiful. Deontay’s was beautiful as well.

“I don’t know.. did he actually say that [the costume was too heavy] out of his mouth? From his mouth? I don’t think that’s a good excuse. I don’t think that’s why he lost the fight. I think Gypsy King was just the better boxer on the night.”