In this week’s episode of Cold As Balls, Kevin Hart goes a few rounds with boxing champion Deontay Wilder. Known to many as The Bronze Bomber, Wilder chats about legacy, future endeavors and so much more.
Deontay Wilder held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020, making 10 successful defenses. By winning the title, Wilder became the first American world heavyweight champion since 2007, which was the longest period of time in boxing history without an American heavyweight champion. As of November 2021, he is ranked as the world’s third-best active heavyweight by ESPN.
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.”
By October 2012, Wilder racked up a 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). Wilder is known for his exceptional punching power, having knocked out every opponent he has defeated. His knockout-to-win percentage stands at 97.61% (69.23% in world heavyweight title fights, the fifth-highest in heavyweight history), with 20 knockouts in the first round. He is a three-time winner of the Premier Boxing ChampionsKnockout of the Year award (2016, 2017, 2019) and a winner of the Ring magazine Knockout of the Year award (2019).
