LAS VEGAS – Tyson Fury facetiously suggested Deontay Wilder take an important preventative measure prior to Saturday night.

“Maybe we should have him weigh his costume before he walks to the ring in it,” Fury told BoxingScene.com, “so there can’t be any excuses this time.”

Wilder’s weighty costume cost him dearly during their rematch in February 2020, according to the former WBC heavyweight champion. The elaborate outfit weighed approximately 45 pounds and weakened Wilder’s legs from the start of a fight in which he was dropped twice, once apiece in the third and fifth rounds, and stopped in the seventh round at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Fury ridiculed Wilder’s “costume excuse” and cannot understand why Wilder won’t simply admit that his big British rival was better than him that night.

“It’s been embarrassing for American boxing, really,” Fury said, “because this guy is supposed to be the American heavyweight champion of the world, and you come up with excuses like this on the global stage, with the world watching. It’s absolutely pathetic. I’ve never seen anything like it. And he’s a disgrace not only to boxing, but his country, to his family as well. To make all these pathetic excuses on why he lost the fight, when all he had to do was hold his hand out and say, ‘Fair play. You beat me on the night and I’ll see you in the [third fight].’ ”

The 35-year-old Wilder revealed recently that his costume calamity 19 months ago won’t prohibit him from wearing another outfit into the ring for their third fight at T-Mobile Arena.

“All of my fights have – well, since I became champion, you know, it’s nobody come out with a better dress, better uniform than I,” Wilder said during Zoom conference call. “And we’re gonna continue to continue with that. You know, and we’ll just have to see what I put on. It’s gonna be something special. It’s gonna be something that I dedicate this, you know, to my people, my tribe. You know, so look forward to seeing it.”

The Tuscaloosa, Alabama, native didn’t specify how much his costume will weigh for this third fight.

“The Bronze Bomber” is more focused, obviously, on regaining his WBC belt in the main event of an ESPN/FOX Sports Pay-Per-View show scheduled to start at 9 p.m. EDT ($79.99). Caesars Sportsbooks list Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs) as a 3-1 favorite to defeat Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) in their third meeting.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.