Deontay Leshun Wilder (/ˈwaɪldɜːr/; born October 22, 1985) is an American professional boxer. He held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to February 2020, and in doing so became the first American world heavyweight champion in nine years, which was the longest period of time in boxing history without an American heavyweight champion. As of November 2020, he is ranked as the world's second-best active heavyweight by BoxRec, third by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and by The Ring magazine.
Wilder had a late start to boxing, taking up the sport at 20 years of age. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 2008 Olympics. This led to his nickname of "The Bronze Bomber", which Wilder coined after Joe Louis, who was known by the nickname of "The Brown Bomber".
Wilder is particularly known for his formidable punching power, having knocked out every opponent he has defeated. His knockout-to-win percentage stands at 98%, with 20 knockouts in the first round. He is a two-time winner of the Premier Boxing Champions Knockout of the Year award, in 2016 and 2017, and the winner of the Ring magazine Knockout of the Year award in 2019.
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