The casual sports fan most likely doesn’t even know his name, let alone his reputation. But it’s very possible Deontay Wilder will soon be as recognizable as Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather.
The 6’7″ Alabama native has quietly thrust himself into being the current WBC World Heavyweight champion. And he’s obliterated the competition.
He’s 34-0 and has 33 KOs over that span. He’s not only out for glory, fame and bronze statues, but as you’ll read in my interview, he needs to win in order to support the people he loves and to prove to America that boxing is on its way back. Big time.
Josh Helmuth: I actually went to the University of Alabama and so I was excited to find out you’re originally from Tuscaloosa. Tell me about your T-town roots, man.
Deontay Wilder: Ya man, born and raised here … My dream was to play for Alabama — football, basketball.
Josh: We’re you actually being recruited by Mark Gottfried or Mike Shula?
Deontay: I had a couple of D-II schools and stuff like that, but I wasn’t looking to leave home … It was a horrible year in 2004. But God works in mysterious ways.
Josh: Ya, walk me through what was going through your head. When your daughter was born, you were just a kid and you were faced with all these tremendous challenges. At which moment did you realize, ‘I’m meant to be a boxer,’ and how does it relate to what you’ve done for your daughter?
Deontay: It definitely was a scary moment for me because I was only 19 years old … It was all about Deontay. But when Naieya came aboard, it was no longer about me.
It was a scary moment for me. You always pray for a healthy child, and in this situation, Naieya was born with Spinal Bifida … We had choices on the table, and choices to terminate the pregnancy. We could have went on with our lives and that would have been it, but we decided to take on the challenge…
I told my friend what was going on with me and that I had a baby on the way and I had to quit clownin’ and stuff like that. I told him I should start boxin. He thought it was a great idea…
When I walked through those gym doors it was like I could hear the angels singing, ‘Hallll-le-lu-jah!’ … In this particular time, I was in the right place at the right time…
Boxing is my true calling. I’ve found my purpose in life. I literally eat, sleep and breath boxing. And now I’m the heavyweight champion of the world.
Josh: So who is the person who really got you into boxing?
Deontay: I came up with the idea of boxing. I was ignorant to the sport. I felt fighters who stepped into the ring made a lot of money and it would be a way to support my daughter with her disorder.
But just by talking about it, my friends told me, ‘I got you a guy,’ at a gym nearby, about boxing and stuff. And that’s how it came about. And me and the guy exchanged numbers.
Josh: You talked about how you got into fights in the past. When you first started training was it difficult to transform yourself from fighter to boxer?
Deontay: When I describe it to people I always say it’s like playing street ball and then getting brought into organized basketball and you have teammates. That’s how boxing is. You’re converting from street wise mentality to boxing, which is more organized, where you have to set your feet in proper position…
Street fight, you just ground and pound ’em. Boxing is totally different.
30 seconds felt like an hour to me up in the ring … I remember sparring my trainer and my legs started to wobble like Bambi … I never had to work so many muscles in my body.
Josh: I was astounded to see you have 33 KOs in 34 bouts. Someone with your success, I’ve always been curious, what’s going through your mind as you leave the locker room and you’re about to enter the ring?
Deontay: That I want to be able to execute everything we’ve prepared for … I want to make sure I’m perfect. We will never be perfect, but it’s important to strive to be. I strive to be perfect in that ring. Not to make any mistakes. Listen to my corner. Just, I want to complete the mission that we have set for this opponent.
Also, just the adrenaline rush of fans screamin’ my name. I get energy from the crowd as well.
I don’t get nervous. Nor do I get butterflies. I don’t know why. I enjoy what I do. I love this. I love my job. And boxing is my job. I can’t wait to perform for my fans, my family and friends.
I wanna give people what they want, and that’s a knockout…
When I look at my opponent I think about my children also, that they’re trying to take my position. They’re trying to take my spot. They’re tryin’ to take the way that I’m providing for my family, and I can’t let that happen.
So it’s so many mixed emotions that’s going in my head.
Josh: How do you picture this fight against Duhaupas going? If I were him I would be, not worried, but concerned about the home field advantage. I mean, you’ll be less than an hour away from home. I picture it being a tremendous raucous home crowd for you. How do you think this is going to play out?
Deontay: Even the Floyd Mayweather fight, I’ve never been to a fight to date where I got to witness what I witnessed when I fought here at home. You talkin’ about screamin fans, everybody chantin’ my name. It was just a wind blowin’.
Josh: And it’s the first time in 30 years NBC is hosting a fight on prime time. Does this mean boxing is back?
Deontay: This does mean boxing is back. Not back to its full potential, as far as the heavy weight division is concerned, but each and every fight, it’s building.
Back in the day this is how all the great fighters were known. Part of it was the networks. Free TV. Now it’s back. So now it’s giving fighters all over an opportunity for fans to relate to fighters.
I don’t think it’s fully back, but definitely on the right path. I’m happy to be part of the movement. I have a goal to make boxing bigger than it’s ever been, ever. It’s a new century, a new time and a new era.
Josh: Deontey … for the record, I think you look nothing like LeBron James.
Deontay: [Laughs]. Uhhhhh…. ah man. [Laughs].
Deontay “The Bronze Bomer” Wilder (34-0, 33 KOs) vs. Johann “Reptile” Duhaupas (32-2, 20 KOs) airs Saturday, September 26, with coverage beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.
It’s the first heavyweight world championship in primetime on NBC since May, 20, 1985 and is a result of Premiere Boxing Champions.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.
Photo Credit: Getty
