LONDON – Not many modern-day heavyweights reach half a century of professional fights.
That makes it all the more notable that Deontay Wilder will reach the 50-fight milestone this Saturday at London’s O2 Arena against Derek Chisora. Unlike many before him, Wilder’s journey into boxing was anything but conventional.
Raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Wilder did not step into a boxing gym until adulthood. His early ambitions lay elsewhere, on the basketball court and football field, before life forced him into the squared circle.
“I played everything,” Wilder joked to BoxingScene. “What got me into boxing is when I realized that I couldn't go to university no more to pursue my career in a professional sport. I had to lean on the school of hard knocks, you know – that's whooping people's ass. I knew that being a fighter, I could be professional and gain money for my daughter.”
At 20 years old, Wilder’s priorities changed while in college trying to make it as a ball player. The birth of his daughter, who was diagnosed with spina bifida, meant that he would have to provide for medical bills and her upbringing.
“I had a friend that we were in college with, we used to talk about what are the things we were trying to do to achieve our goals, and I told him that I wouldn't be able to attend anymore because I had a daughter that was on the way,” Wilder recalled. “I said, ‘I'm going to start boxing.’ He thought it was a great idea because, like I said, I never looked for trouble, but trouble always found me. They always see me knocking on heads, you know, knocking people out even before getting into boxing. So he thought it was a great idea. I ended up joining a gym, a local gym that I had no idea about. I went to the gym, walked in there and met my longtime trainer, Jay Deas, who is my co-manager now. The rest is history.”
Despite starting late, Wilder quickly found success in the ring. Just three years after taking up the sport, he won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
“My only plan coming into boxing was just to risk my life to save a life, with a girl that was born with spina bifida,” he said. “I told her when she was 1 years old, I promised her that your daddy would be a champion and be able to support you beyond your belief. She didn't understand, she was only 1, but I knew I had the fire in me. I had the belief in myself that I would make it to where I needed to be and support her. I've overachieved that promise.”
Wilder would go on to win the WBC heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Bermane Stiverne – to this day, his only win over the distance – and defend it 10 times, building a reputation as one of the most dangerous punchers in the sport before losing the title to Tyson Fury in 2020.
In that time, Wilder became a must-watch attraction. His one-punch knockouts made him a star in the States, bringing both attention and financial success. But with that came a different kind of attention.
“I mean, I've been selfless all my life. Ever since I was 12 years old, I've been giving money, I've been taking care of people,” Wilder said. “I've been doing a lot of great deeds for people. Unfortunately, those with great hearts always are the ones that get taken advantage of. And even though I've been taken advantage of many, many times, that never changed me as a person. I still done over and beyond for people, even to the point of me getting betrayed, backstabbed, lied to, stolen from, even from my own siblings.”
The toll, Wilder says, was significant, both mentally and physically, and he believes it played a role in the losses that followed.
Now, after a period of reflection, he insists he has returned with a different mindset.
“It's just come to a point in time where I just say, you know what, it's enough,” said Wilder. “Enough is enough. I've done enough for everyone, now it's time to be selfish. And this is the selfish version of myself, the healed version. I don't say I'm back, I say I'm back and I'm better, because it's the healed version mentally, physically and emotionally for me. So I'm looking to have fun for the rest of my years to come.”
At this stage of his career, questions remain about what is left for Wilder to achieve. His legacy, by his own admission, is already secure.
“I mean, I've done so much, and the majority of my accomplishments have been set in stone within a statue, so I don't have to do much,” he said. “When I die, I will never be forgotten.”
There is still, however, something left that he set out to achieve.
“I want to unify the division,” Wilder said. “That one goal I set in the division – to unify the division – and I never had an opportunity to do so. And hopefully doing the things that I need to do, especially come Saturday night and moving forward, that I will once and for all get that opportunity.
“And then after that, you may see me retiring as well.”
Tom Ivers is a lifelong fight fan and former amateur boxer who has a master’s degree in sports journalism. Tom joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.
