Deontay Wilder has admitted he went into boxing, only hoping to become a journeyman and make a few dollars getting by in the sport.
“The Bronze Bomber” walked into a gym for the first time in 2004. He was standing on a podium within eighteen months, claiming an Olympic bronze medal.
Even earlier, months before Wilder came third at an Olympic test event, to make his story even more remarkable.
Discussing his career on the Pivot Podcast, Wilder admitted that boxing changed his life and his ambitions inside the ropes.
The rise of Deontay Wilder
“When you get into a boxing ring, you become organized,” said Wilder. “It’s a structure and a discipline.
“It requires a certain standard to compete and really do it.
“When I had my first sparring session, I realized that I could be something. The only reason I even went into the gym was to become a journeyman.
“I was doing it due to my daughter having Spina Bifida. It led me to the gym.”
Wilder added on getting selected for Team USA, “I thought I could double my money if I made it to the Olympic team. I knew that would help me even more than just going right into the journey as a pro.
“I took that route, made the Olympic team, and medaled in a year and a half. The rest is history from there.”
Fast forward ten years, and Wilder was embarking on one of the greatest heavyweight trilogies of the modern era alongside Tyson Fury.
A string of knockouts had led him to that point. The three fights sent his reputation into the stratosphere despite two losses.
After Fury came Robert Helenius. A first-round knockout with a trademark right hand at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, put the Tuscaloosa native back in the title hunt.
Plans
Al Haymon has plans to pit Wilder against Andy Ruiz Jr. in the first half of 2023. Battles with Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua are also on the cards.
Plenty of opponents lie in weight for the former WBC heavyweight champion.
Alabama’s finest is ready to secure his family’s future with a final run to face the world’s best.
Wilder added to his mental change since becoming a father: “I never knew why I had such a quick temper. But over time, you learn to put away childish things, and that’s the story of me.
“I had to understand what was worth putting action toward and what wasn’t.
“Especially when you start having kids because everything you do is about them.
“That’s when I had to start thinking about my actions because I knew that if I wasn’t in their lives, then nobody was getting fed.”
On when he will retire, Wilder concluded: “I give it all 110% percent. I tell people I only have three years to dedicate to this business.
“I want to get back to the big fights and to give the fans what they want to see. That’s me risking my life for others’ entertainment.
“I’m doing it for the people this time. It’s not about just my family anymore. It’s about everyone who I’ve motivated, inspired, and encouraged all over the world.”
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