Professional career
Early career
Wilder made his debut at the age of 23 on November 15, 2008 at the Vanderbilt University Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee. He knocked out Ethan Cox in the second round. Cox was knocked down three times in the second round before the fight was eventually stopped. Wilder fought seven times in 2009, winning all the fights in round 1.[6] By October 2012, Wilder racked up an impressive 25-fight win streak, winning all by knockout and all within four rounds. Some notable stoppages included former WBA heavyweight title challenger Owen Beck (27-10, 20 KOs), former WBO light heavyweight title challenger DeAndrey Abron (15-6, 10 KOs) and former WBO heavyweight challenger Damon Reed (46-15, 32 KOs).[7][8]
Wilder won his first title in professional boxing when he knocked out then unbeaten 37 year old Kelvin Price (13-0, 6 KOs) at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California on December 15, 2012. Wilder fought patiently through the first two rounds and mostly measured Price. The fight ended when a right hand from Wilder caught Price on the jaw and sent him back into the ropes and down. He attempted to get to his feet, but struggled which led referee Ray Corona to wave an end to the bout. Wilder claimed the vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title, which he went on to successfully defend twice.[9]
Wilder vs. Harrison
On April 27, 2013 Wilder knocked out former European heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist Audley Harrison (31-6, 23 KOs) in Sheffield, on his UK debut. Harrison was coming into this fight looking to rebuild after winning the prizefighter heavyweight tournament two months prior. Wilder found an opening 49 seconds into the opening round and caught Harrison with a big right hand that rocked him back into the ropes. A follow up barrage from Wilder sent Harrison into the corner, crumpling onto the floor. Harrison used the ropes to get to his feet at the count of eight, but referee Terry O'Connor waved an end to the bout. The official time of stoppage was 1:22 of the first round. Four days after the fight, Harrison announced his retirement at the age of 41 years.[10][11][12]
Wilder vs. Liakhovich
Wilder knocked out former WBO heavyweight champion Sirahei Liakhovich (25-5, 16 KOs) in the first round on August 9, 2013, the fight was the main event of a Showtime card. The fight took place at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California. Liakhovich was fighting for the first time in nearly a year and half. Wilder caught Liakhovich with a big right hand, while Liakhovich was backed against the ropes, he went down heavily and began twitching. The referee waved an end to the bout without beginning a count. Liakhovich was kept down for some time in the ring, before being helped to a stool.[13][14] Wilder and Golden Boy Promotions had been in talks with Dereck Chisora about a potential fight in England, but that fell through after Wilder was arrested in May following a domestic assault in Las Vegas, Nevada.[15]
Wilder vs. Scott
In February 2014 it was announced that Wilder would fight 33 year old American boxer Malik Scott (36-1-1, 13 KOs) in an eliminator for the WBC heavyweight title. The fight took place on the undercard of Garcia-Herrera at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Puerto Rico on March 15.[16] When the fight was first announced, Wilder was #3 in the WBC ratings while Scott was #26. By the time the fight took place, Wilder was still ranked #3 and Scott was ranked #23. Wilder knocked out Scott at 1:36 of the first round. Wilder started off with slow jabs and the knockout blow appeared to be a straight right hand, which many believe didn't connect clearly. There was an instant reaction from the crowd and on social media regarding how the fight ended. Scott was said to be unhappy about reports that he took a dive and congratulated Wilder.[17][18][19] This set Wilder up as mandatory challenger for the WBC heavyweight title held by new champion Bermane Stiverne, who had defeated Chris Arreola for the title vacated by the retiring Vitali Klitschko.
In August 2013, Wilder fought journeyman and former Prizefighter finalist Jason Gavern (25-16-4, 11 KOs) in a 10 round bout. The fight was to take place at the StubHub Center in Carson, California on the undercard of the IBF welterweight fight between Shawn Porter and Kell Brook fight.[20] Gavern was knocked down in rounds three and four. His corner threw in the towel after round four giving Wilder another stoppage victory in as many fights.[21][22]
WBC heavyweight champion
Wilder vs. Stiverne
After beating fellow American Malik Scott by first round knockout in March 2014, [23] this set up his position as mandatory challenger for the WBC heavyweight title held by new champion Bermane Stiverne, who had defeated Chris Arreola for the title vacated by the retiring Vitali Klitschko. In January 2015, billed as 'Return to Glory', Wilder fought Stiverne at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and made his dream a reality by winning the WBC heavyweight title from the defending champion by unanimous decision after twelve rounds. The three official judges scored it (118-109), (119-108) & (120-107).[24] Stiverne landed 110 of 327 punches (34%) with Wilder landing 227 of 621 punches (37%).[25] This was the first real proof to critics that Wilder could go the distance and could box, as up to that point he had finished all opponents inside the distance. After the fight, Wilder dedicated his win to his disabled daughter, and to his boxing hero Muhammad Ali, who had turned 73 years old that same day.
Wilder vs. Molina, Duhaupas
On June 13, 2015 Wilder made his first defense of his new title against Eric Molina (23-2, 17 KOs) at Bartow Arena, Birmingham, Alabama. This was the first heavyweight title fight held in the state of Alabama with an attendance of 9,347. Molina was aiming to become the first Mexican-American World Heavyweight champion in history. Wilder dominated, knocking down Molina near the end of round four, twice in the fifth, and knocking him out on his back in the ninth round. Wilder had respect for Molina after the bout, stating "I was really surprised he kept coming and hanging in there. A lot of people said he wouldn't even be around, he wouldn't last. There were a lot of doubters, but he showed a lot of heart, and I needed that kind of guy to fight here in Alabama." Wilder was ahead on all three judges scorecards at the time of stoppage (90-77, 89-78 twice).[26][27]
On September 26, Wilder beat Johann Duhaupas (32-2, 20 KOs) by TKO in the 11th round at the Legacy Arena, Alabama. Duhaupas, who was battered and bloodied claims he still had plenty of fight left when referee Jack Reiss waved off his brave challenge. Duhaupas who had never been stopped before in his career inside the distance. Wilder was ahead on all judges scorecards at the time of stoppage (99-90,100-90, 99-91).[28]
Wilder vs. Szpilka
Wilder made his third defense on January 16, 2016 against Polish boxer Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs) at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York in front of 12,668 mostly pro Polish fans. Szpilka looked very strong as the bout began, and won the first three rounds with his awkward southpaw stance, rapid foot movement, and unique talent of slipping punches. Szpilka made Wilder appear somewhat wild with his punches, as Wilder missed 175 punches thrown at Szpilka, mostly head punches. Entering round nine, Szpilka, aware from the ring commentators he could no longer win the fight on the cards, changed strategy and took a gamble. Going to the inside, Szpilka swung for the rafters, but Wilder, read Szpilka and landed first with a powerful right hand to the face. Szpilka fell suddenly to the canvas knocked out, both fighters appeared horribly out of position. Unconscious on the canvas, Szpilka's head jerked backwards in a reflex motion, the frightful moment abruptly ending the competitive contest and sending the ringside physicians and emergency medical personnel immediately into the ring.
After the fight, newly crowned heavyweight champion Tyson Fury entered the ring going face to face in a heated verbal exchange with Wilder, calling him out. In the post fight press conference, WIlder gave himself a 5 on a scale of 10 for his performance. Wilder was not in a celebratory mood and claimed his concerns for Szpilka meant he was not in the mood for the confrontation with Fury at the time. The bout over, Wilder explained "We risk our lives in there for your entertainment. I want to knock my opponents out, but not hurt them. I want them to be able to go home to their family." Fortunately, Szpilka regained consciousness before leaving the ring on a stretcher, and recovered.[29][30] The knockout was voted as 'Knockout of The Year' by Premier Boxing Champions.[31]
Wilder vs. Povetkin and cancelled defense
Wilder was due to make the fourth defense of his WBC heavyweight title against former WBA champion and mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin (30-1, 22 KOs) on 21 May 2016 at the Megasport Arena in Moscow, Russia. Povetkin was considered by many to be Wilder's toughest opponent to date, and was on a four-fight knockout streak since suffering his only defeat to Wladimir Klitschko in late 2013.[32] Wilder didn't seem to be worried by the defense and saw this as a big name in the Heavyweight division that he could add to his legacy, "Going to Russia is going to be nothing for me, I'm going to treat it like it's the U.S. because at the end of the day, it's one man, one ring. When I knock him out and come back, it's going to bring my legacy even bigger than it is now." He also added, "I think this is going to be an easier fight than Stiverne, I really believe that. To be proven wrong, we're going to find out." [33]
However, a week before the fight on May 14, it was reported that Povetkin had tested positive for the banned substance meldonium. Promotor Andrei Ryabinsky added that Povetkin did take meldonium 2015, but stopped before it was banned, and only "leftover traces of meldonium at a very low concentration (70 nanograms)" were found in a blood sample given by the 36-year-old last month.[34][35] Hours after Wilder and his team skipped their flight to Moscow, the WBC, having little choice with the titleholder preparing to return home, to postponed the fight.[36][37] Jay Deas, Wilder's manager and trainer, said the fight is off as did promoter Lou DiBella. Andrey Ryabinskiy, promoter for Povetkin, claimed the fight would take place at a later date.[38] Wilder claimed he is still interested in fighting and beating Povetkin in the future, as this was a fight he trained hard for and was hoping to make a statement against an elite heavyweight.[39] On February 14, 2017 Wilder won $7 million dollars in court over the cancellation of the fight.[40][41]
Wilder vs. Arreola
Wilder made the fourth defense of his WBC heavyweight title against former two-time world heavyweight title challenger Chris Arreola (36-4-1-2, 31 KOs). The bout took place on July 16, 2016 at the Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama. For the fight, Wilder wore white trunks with black trim, featuring a portrait of his personal idol and the late heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali. The attendance at the arena was announced 11,974. Wilder dominated the entire fight with his sharp jab, which caused severe swelling to Arreola's left eye. In the fourth round, Wilder connected with a heavy right cross that knocked Arreola down. Finally, after eight one-sided rounds, Arreola's cornermen informed the referee to stop the contest. The official verdict, an eight round retirement victory for Wilder. After the fight, Wilder stated he had broke his right hand and tore his biceps during the fight. Wilder was ahead 80-71, 80-71 and 79-72 on the scorecards at the time of stoppage. According to CompuBox statistics, Wilder landed 152 of 346 punches (44 percent), and Arreola landed 52 of 188 (28 percent).[42]
According to promoter Lou DiBella, Wilder spent most of the night at UAB Hospital. He would be back at the hospital soon, likely for two surgeries, one to repair each injury. This ruled him out for the remainder of 2016. "Deontay is definitely out for the remainder of the year, but we will know more in the next few days," DiBella said.[43]
Wilder vs. Washington
Wilder announced in November that he had fully recovered and back in training following surgery. His return fight would likely be early 2017.[44] In December, Peter Fury announced there was active talks to get Hughie Fury a world title fight against Wilder for the first quarter of 2017. Fury wouldn't be considered as a voluntary due to being ranked at number 26 by WBC, but Peter hoping he would be bumped into the top 15 after the WBC convention in December.[45]
On December 21, 2016 according to Wilder's manager Jay Deas, there was advance talks for a fight to take place on February 25, 2017 at the Legacy Arena in Alabama against 29 year old two-time Polish heavyweight champion and former world title challenger Andrzej Wawrzyk (33-1, 19 KOs).[46][47] Wawrzyk is on a six-fight knockout streak, more recently a win over veteran Albert Sosnowski, since losing his only fight to Alexander Povetkin, inside the distance in May 2013. Terms were agreed a day later as the date and venue was confirmed on December 29.[48][49] After announcing Wawrzyk as his opponent, Wilder received criticism from fellow boxers, boxing experts and fans for choosing 'an easy fight', having yet another voluntary defence and not fighting a top level heavyweight. On December 29, Wilder spoke about the criticism not believing Wawrzyk should be written off, he stated, “I don’t believe ‘You’re going to suck because I don’t know you’, that’s just the ignorance of your average boxing fan ... I wish fans would stop criticizing fighters because it takes a lot to get in the ring.” Wilder used Manny Pacquiao as an example for when he was little known.[50][51] On January 25, 2017 it was reported that Wawrzyk had failed a drug test, ruling him out of the fight. With a month to go until the fight, Wilder was determined that he would find a replacement to fight him on short notice and not postpone the fight card.[52][53] Luis Ortiz put himself forward for the fight only to be shot down due to him failing drugs tests in the past.[54] Tyson Fury also put himself forward.[55] A day later it was reported that 35 year old Gerald Washington (18-0-1, 12 KOs) was in the lead of landing the world title fight.[56] It was announced on January 30, 2017 that Gerald Washington would face Wilder on February 25th.[57]
