Wilder offers a novel excuse

Deontay Wilder has revealed he needed surgery to repair torn biceps injured in his heavyweight world title loss to Tyson Fury.

Fury destroyed Wilder to win the WBC belt by a seventh-round knockout in Las Vegas in February.

Wilder blamed his first defeat as a professional on his elaborate and heavy ring walk costume he claimed drained him of energy.

Now he’s saying he tore the biceps muscle in his left arm and that he felt like a ‘‘zombie’’ in the ring.

‘‘Recovery is going well. I’m in therapy, I ended up injuring it during my last fight,’’ Wilder told the Premier Boxing Champions.

‘‘I’ve been there before, but everything is going great with it. I’m just focusing on recovery and getting back to full health.

‘‘I’m looking forward to once all this coronavirus stuff is over to getting back to camp and getting ready.’’

Wilder hopes to be back training towards the back end of May as he prepares for his third fight with Fury set for October 3. The first bout in Los Angeles was drawn and Wilder says he has unfinished business and doesn’t see Fury as the true WBC champion yet.

‘‘In my eyes, I don’t see Fury as a champion. It’s still going. He ain’t the champion yet. We still got one more fight left.

‘‘I’m not done yet. This [third fight] is the last final straw right here, as I see it. I am looking forward to showing the world the best of Deontay Wilder.’’

He remains very frustrated by his loss. ‘‘I was a zombie that night . . . I wasn’t myself, I felt like a zombie in there.’’