You can count Deontay Wilder among those looking forward to another entry into the Rocky series. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
The unbeaten heavyweight titlist has plenty of present day business on which to focus, as he prepares for his Nov. 23 rematch with Luis Ortiz. That hasn’t prevented him from already thinking ahead to the future, one which he hopes includes his presence on the silver screen.
“My passion is acting,” Wilder (41-0-1, 40KOs) told BoxingScene.com and other reporters during a recent media workout designed to discuss his rematch with Ortiz (31-1, 26KOs; 2NCs), which airs live on Fox Sports Pay-Per-View from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. “I’m doing thing thus far and I’ve been killing it. I’m looking forward to do more in the acting field.”
Among the on-screen credits for the unbeaten 34-year old from Tuscaloosa, Alabama include guest appearances Showtime’s Billions; the televised reboot of Magnum P.I. and reality series WAGS Atlanta. His name surfaced earlier this year as a potential frontrunner to land in a still-rumored third installment of Creed, to date a two-film spinoff of the original Rocky franchise focuses on the fictional character Adonis Creed (masterfully portrayed by Michael B. Jordan) whose father Apollo was a prominent figure through the first three Rocky films before being killed off in Rocky IV. The first Creed film debuted in theaters in Nov. 2015, its backstory drawing parallels to the first installment of Rocky, the 1976 film which won multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Creed II was a blend of several of the Rocky sequels, though most comparable to Rocky IV.
With each Creed film doing well at the box office, naturally comes talk of Creed 3. Such a film—should it see the light of day—is rumored to also produce a second-generation character from the Rocky franchise, the son of the fictional character Clubber Lang, portrayed in Rocky 3 by Mr. T.
To date, it remains little more than Hollywood gossip, though Wilder is certainly keeping an eye out for such an opportunity.
“I don’t know if they're gonna have another Creed or not,” admits Wilder, who in real life prepares for the 10th defense of the heavyweight title he claimed in Jan. 2015. “There have been rumors. If opportunities come about, I’m the man for the job. I’m up for that part. I can fit that description—my attitude and my looks, my demeanor as I approach boxing.”
The only request is that the art imitates his real life
“As long as they have me knocking somebody out,” insists Wilder, who has scored eight stoppages in 10 title fights to date, including a 10th round technical knockout of Ortz in their first fight last March and his now-viral 1st round knockout of Dominic Breazeale in his most recent performance this past May. “That’s what I do in my regular life. I’m a knockout artist.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
