Boxer uses his hard past to fight for a future
Phoebe Simcock,
22nd Oct 2021
Tags:
Life
Blog
Sport
An American heavy-weight boxer who, as of this month, has been ranked as the world’s fourth-best active heavyweight by BoxRec celebrates his birthday this week.
He is known for his punching power and has knocked out every opponent he has defeated, but is very open about his love with God and presents himself as a lover and not a fighter. This person is the sensational Deontay Wilder.
Deontay Leshun Wilder was born in Alabama on October 22nd 1985. He had a late start to boxing, taking up the sport at 20 years old. He was considered a late starter to his sport and then gained a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics and is succeeding more in the boxing world every day.
Deontay proves that you don’t need to start your passion as a child.
Sometimes it can feel like starting up a new hobby or career after childhood will prevent you from being at the top of your game. The stereotype of amazing musicians and sportspeople starting at the age of five to become professionals can feel daunting if you’re late to find your passion. Deontay proves that you don’t need to start your passion as a child or teenager to become a star.
Deontay comes from a family of Alabama preachers. When he was young he would visit the church every week with his family, he states that God is very important in his life and God gives him the mental and physical strength to continue doing what he loves.
His Twitter bio includes the quote, “If you give God the glory, he will give you the victory”, and Brainy Quote has quoted Deontay as saying, “People have to realize that God has blessed me with power. He hasn't got me this far for no reason. I feel like God has a plan for me in this sport. That's how I have came up this fast”.
He feels blessed with the power he has been given, but this also comes with a lot of determination and dedication to his sport.
The birth of his daughter and his love for her meant that Deontay put her first.
Although Deontay found boxing to be his passion in life, he originally dreamed of playing football or basketball. The birth of his daughter and his love for her meant that Deontay put her first, and this and his poor grades prevented him from chasing this original dream. He attended a nearby college and focussed on his boxing career, which would enable him to become a legend, but at the time this seemed like the end for Deontay.
He fell into a deep depression and contemplated suicide because he felt he had no control over his future and it was difficult to see his first child deal with pain and suffering. Wilder reflected on this time later in this life and stated that he regrets feeling the need to end his own life, as he only thought how it would affect him and not his girlfriend and children that he would leave behind.
Deontay Wilder is a great inspiration to anyone who feels like they can’t catch their dream and has been pushed towards something else. You never know that something else could be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.
