WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder is in a mood to not only break opponents, and their bones, but also world records. Wilder, currently unbeaten with impressive 39-0 numbers (all but one of his wins coming via stoppage) says he can “easily” top Floyd Mayweather’s astonishing 50-0 pro record; Floyd actually besting heavyweight immortal Rocky Marciano’s magic 49-0 number this year (some say with an asterisk firmly placed alongside the 50-0 due to the fact that Mayweather picked up his “final” win against a boxing novice).
Not only that, but Wilder, in speaking with Kevin Iole yesterday, said that he “might even beat George Foreman’s record of being the oldest heavyweight champion.” Wilder was laughing as he spoke about breaking Foreman’s incredible record – 46 years and ten months old as George was when he KO’d Michael Moorer to regain the world crown in 1994 – but he said that breaking Mayweather’s record “would look nice on my resume.”
“It’s something that came across my ears from the people around me,” Wilder said in response to Iole asking him if he feels he will go on to break both Marciano’s and Mayweather’s records. “It had me think about it a little bit. Those achievements, if I make it a goal – it will definitely happen. I can beat all of those guys’ records easily. I’m just stepping into the prime of my career, at the age of 32. I just walked into the door.”
Wilder may or may have enough time on his side to be able, possibly, just maybe, to break 49-0, even 50-0, but he’s still a way off. Presuming Wilder beats Luis Ortiz on March 3rd (fight still not finalised, but Wilder says it will “definitely happen”), to go to 40-0, he would then need ten more fights to break Rocky’s record. With Wilder taking three fights a year (he boxed just two last year, and two bouts a year seems to be a common theme for big-name fighters these days), it would still take him into the year 2021 to hit 50-0.
Again, maybe he can do it, maybe not. The closest any heavyweight got to tying Marciano’s record was Larry Holmes who in 1985 was 48-0, before losing to Michael Spinks. Holmes was 35 years old when he suffered a loss for the first time. Can Wilder stay unbeaten until the age of 35 and beyond?
Let’s see how Wilder copes in his “toughest fight yet” against Ortiz before we get too excited.