In recent decades, boxing enthusiasts can rightly argue that there has been a decline in talent in the heavyweight class, especially from America, which in recent history has produced legendary fighters such as Mike Tyson and Evander Hollyfield. More recently, however, former Olympic bronze medalist Deontay Wilder seems to be bringing heavyweight boxing back to the forefront, thanks to his perfect record and reputation in the fight that has earned him two Premier Boxing Champions Knockout of the Year awards.
Deontay Wilder Biography
Wilder was born as the second of four children of Gary and Deborah Wilder, Deontay Leshun Wilder, on October 22, 1985, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he grew up. Wilder was an outstanding athlete when he was growing up, and he hoped for a career in basketball or soccer, two of the major sports in his home state.
He attended Tuscaloosa Central High School where he excelled in both sports. He had hoped to study at the University of Alabama to play in one of the two sports, but after the birth of his daughter and his poor academic performance in high school, he could only attend Shelton State Community College, where he began to work toward a boxing career.
Deontay Wilder officially began his boxing training in 2005. He soon began to fight at the amateur level and won two amateur boxing titles: the National Golden Gloves and the U.S. Championships in 2007. To achieve this, Wilder had angered the favorites, so he applied for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He was successful in his bid to represent the United States at the Summer Games, where he won the bronze medal after losing to the Italian Clemente Russo in the semi-finals.
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After the Olympic Games, Wilder, who had set an amateur record of 30 wins and 5 defeats, turned professional. He made his debut against Ethan Cox, whom he knocked out in the second round. In 2009, Wilder recorded first-round knockout wins from all of his seven fights of the year. His winning streak continued in 2010 and 2011, but what made the headlines for these victories was that he did so with knockout victories, all of which were achieved in the first four rounds of fights.
In December 2012, after a 25-0 record, Deontay Wilder was given the chance to win his first title against Kelvin Price, who was also undefeated. Wilder knocked out Price to win the vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title. He successfully defended the title on two occasions before adding the WBC heavyweight title to his collection in January 2015 by defeating Bermane Stiverne by unanimous decision. Since then, Wilder has defended his title on seven occasions, with a record of 40 wins and 0 defeats in September 2018.
Does He Have A Wife Or Girlfriend?
Deontay Wilder was previously married to the mother of his first four children – Jessica Scales-Wilder. However, the couple divorced after 8 years of marriage, which gave him room to get engaged to the soon-to-be mother of his fifth child, reality TV star Telli Swift, who is performing on WAGS Atlanta.
Deontay Wilder Daughter
Deontay and his first wife Jessica got married in 2009 after they had been together for several years. The couple was blessed with four children; two boys and two girls. Wilder owes his first, Naieya, who was born in 2005, to the fact that he embarked on a boxing career when she was diagnosed with spina bifida before she was born. The doctors had advised the couple to terminate the pregnancy and try again, but they refused and continued to admit her.
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After she was born, Naieya underwent a series of operations to give her the ability to walk. During this time, Wilder paid attention to boxing to feed his family, which, he said, drove him to where he is today. Today his little girl walks without crutches and can even do cartwheels, things her parents thought were impossible.
Wilder had three more children with his first wife; a daughter named Ava and two sons named Deontay Jr. and Dereon.
Brother
The younger brother of the WBC heavyweight titleholder, Marsellos Quinkeith Wilder, has followed in his footsteps to make a career in boxing. The younger, 191 cm tall Wilder entered boxing somewhat late, as he did not start his professional fighting career until May 2018, at the age of 29. From September 2018, the cruiserweight boxer will only have two fights left on his back, in which he scored both knockout victories against his opponents in the first round.
Deontay Wilder Height And Weight
Deontay Wilder fights in the heavyweight class, which requires a minimum weight of 90 kg or 200 pounds. However, Deontay Wilder weighs a few tons more at 220 pounds or 103 kg. He also has a height of 6 feet 7 inches or 201 cm.