Key Facts About Deontay Wilder
- He’s a professional boxer from the United States.
- His birthplace is Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
- Deontay Leshun Wilder is his full name.
- The date of his birth was October 22, 1985.
- He is 37 years old right now.
- His faith is Christian.
- Grey and Deborah Wilder are his parents.
- Marsellos Wilder is his only known sibling.
- He is currently engaged to Telli Swift.
- He has eight offspring.
- His fortune is estimated at $30 million.
Who is Deontay Wilder?
Deontay Wilder is a pro boxer from the United States. He held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020, successfully defending it ten times. Deontay Wilder became the first American to win the heavyweight title since 2007 when he won the crown, ending the longest drought in boxing history. The Ring magazine ranks him as the world’s second-best active heavyweight as of October 2022, while ESPN, BoxRec, and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board all place him third. He was born on October 22, 1985; Deontay Leshun Wilder is his full name.
Deontay Wilder Early Life
Deontay Wilder was born in the U.S. city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Deontay Wilder is the child of Grey Wilder and Deborah Wilder. His only sibling is Marsellos Wilder. Deonaty Wilder has Afro-American ancestry. His date of birth is October 22, 1985, making him 37 years old.
Deontay Wilder Education
Deontay Wilder received his education at Central High School and then continued his studies at Shelton State Community College.
Deontay Wilder Career
In October of 2005, Deontay Wilder joined Skyy Boxing Gym in Northport, Alabama, where he began working out with trainer Jay Deas. This was the beginning of his training career. Deontay Wilder had just turned 20 years old. He defeated the favourites to win the National Golden Gloves and the U.S. championships by 2007 while weighing just 201 pounds (91 kg). He won the Golden Gloves tournament by knocking out David Thompson of Brooklyn and Isiah Thomas, the cadet world champion from Detroit. He won the U.S. title by beating southpaw James Zimmerman of San Jose, California, 31-15 after defeating Quantis Graves in the semifinals.
After defeating Graves twice, Deontay Wilder won the Olympic trials in a quick 21 bouts. He qualified for the Olympics by earning a 6:5 double-countback victory over Rafael Lima of Brazil and Deivis Julio of Ecuador in the qualifying round. His finest win came at the beginning of 2008 in Russia when he bested Rakhim Chakhiyev, who would go on to win the Olympic gold and the silver at the world championships. At the Russia-USA dual match held on February 29, 2008, in Novosibirsk, Evgenyi Romanov prevailed over Deontay Wilder. Deontay Wilder then competed in the heavyweight division at the 2008 Olympics, where he won his first two bouts (against Abdelaziz Touilbini of Algeria and Mohamed Arjaoui of Morocco) before losing in the bronze-medal bout to Clemente Russo of Italy.
Deontay Wilder made his professional boxing debut at 23 on November 15, 2008, at the Vanderbilt University Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee. With three knockdowns in the second round, he won a technical knockout over Ethan Cox (3-2-1). Deontay Wilder fought seven times in 2009 and won every one of his first-round bouts. Deontay Wilder had won 25 consecutive fights at the end of October 2012, all through knockout and in under four games. Notable boxers such as former WBO light heavyweight title contender DeAndrey Abron (15-6, 10 K.O.s), former WBO heavyweight title challenger Damon Reed (27-10, 20 K.O.s), and former WBA heavyweight title challenger Owen Beck (27-10, 20 K.O.s) were all knocked out. Deontay Wilder won his first professional boxing title by knocking out 37-year-old Kelvin Price (13-0, 6 K.O.s) on December 15, 2012, at the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles. The initial date for the match was in August 2012.
Deontay Wilder’s first fight in the United Kingdom was on April 27, 2013, at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, against Audley Harrison (31-6, 23 K.O.s), a former European heavyweight champion and gold medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Golden Boy Promotions announced the fight on April 3, 2013. Live coverage of Amir Khan’s return fight versus Julio Diaz topped the bill for this card broadcast in the United States on Showtime. Harrison, coming off his victory in the prizefighter heavyweight tournament two months previously, was looking to get back on track with a strong performance in this bout. At the 49-second mark of the first round, he saw an opening and pounced on Harrison, rocking him back into the ropes with a powerful right hand. It took Deontay Wilder one round to knock down Harrison. Harrison threatened to retire from sports altogether if he suffered a defeat.
Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne fought for the WBC heavyweight championship on January 17, 2015, in a fight called “Return to Glory,” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. With a unanimous decision victory over Stiverne after twelve rounds, Deontay Wilder became the first American heavyweight world champion since Shannon Briggs. Deontay Wilder’s rematch with Johann Duhaupas (32-2, 20 K.O.s), the No. 12 ranked contender in the WBC, is scheduled for September 26, 2015, at the Legacy Arena in Alabama. The bout was first confirmed in August 2015. An estimated 8,471 spectators watched as Deontay Wilder scored a technical knockout victory over Duhaupas in the eleventh round.
On May 17, 2021, arbitrator Daniel Weinstein declared that WBC and The Ring champion Tyson Fury must fight Deontay Wilder again. Tyson Fury’s promoter Bob Arum said the Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium had been reserved for July 24, 2021, for a trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder. Deontay Wilder said on June 3 that he has “developed an entire facility to kill Tyson Fury legally.” Wilder had threatened to kill Bermane Stiverne and Dominic Breazeale before Tyson Fury. In the same month, Deontay Wilder selected his former rival-turned-friend Malik Scott as his new head trainer. The venue was confirmed before the pre-fight news conference on June 15. After Tyson Fury’s team contracted COVID-19, the fight was postponed from July 24 to October 9. Both fighters weighed in at their respective career-heaviest weights on October 8: Tyson Fury at 277 lbs and Wilder at 238 lbs.
Tyson Fury won via eleventh-round knockout after both men exchanged five knockdowns. Deontay Wilder won the opening round by jabbing the champion in the body and hitting clean right hands to his chest and stomach. Tyson Fury clinched well in the second. Tyson Fury sent Deontay Wilder on the canvas midway through the third and beat him until the bell rang. Deontay Wilder knocked Tyson Fury out in the fourth with a short right. Deontay Wilder kept charging forward and knocked down the champion again. In the later rounds, Tyson Fury recovered and started landing more often, building a commanding lead on the cards and marking up Deontay Wilder’s face brutally. Wilder was visibly weary after taking so much punishment.
Deontay Wilder was knocked down by a right hook in the tenth but caught Tyson Fury with a series of reckless shots at the bell. Tyson Fury finished Deontay Wilder in the eleventh round with a clinch right hook. Deontay Wilder was face-down when referee Robert Mora stopped the fight. Deontay Wilder trailed on all three judges’ scorecards, 95–91, 94–92, and 95–92. Tyson Fury landed 39% of 385 punches, while Wilder landed 20% of 355. Deontay Wilder took 150 punches, the most ever. CompuBox assessed that Tyson Fury out-landed Wilder in every round, including the fourth when Tyson Fury was knocked down twice.
It was rumoured in August of 2022 that Deontay Wilder would compete for the first time since losing to Tyson Fury the previous year. On October 15, 2022, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, it was reported that Deontay Wilder would fight Robert Helenius of Finland. Deontay Wilder knocked out Helenius with a right hand to the head in the first round. A statue of Deontay Wilder was inaugurated in May of 2022 in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The statue of him in bronze honours his battle nickname, “The Bronze Bomber.”
Deontay Wilder Parents
Grey and Deborah Wilder are the parents of Deontay Wilder.
Deontay Wilder Siblings
Marsellos Wilder is Deontay Wilder’s brother.
Deontay Wilder Ethnicity
Deontay Wilder is of Afro-American descent.
Deontay Wilder Religion
Deonaty Wilder professes Christianity.
Deontay Wilder Wife
Telli Swift is Deontay Wilder’s fiancée.
Deontay Wilder Children
Deontay Wilder is a father to eight kids.
Deontay Wilder Social Media
Deontay Wilder can be found on Instagram and Twitter with the handle @bronzebomber.
Deontay Wilder Net Worth
It’s estimated that Deontay Wilder’s net worth is $30 million.
