Deontay Wilder’s 10 Greatest Knockouts, Including His Two Crushing KO’s Against Luis Ortiz

If the phrase “stupid games win stupid prizes” was a boxing match, it would be Deontay Wilder vs. Damon Reed. Over a year before he’d ever touch championship metal, Wilder was tasked with dispatching the 61-fight journeyman on his way to championship glory.

Reed would make the job as easy as possible when he decided to put down his guard and taunt Wilder after enduring a powerful combo. “The Bronze Bomber” made the former title challenger pay immediately, sending him to the canvas just seconds later.

Deontay Wilder’s eight-year run as a champion began with the WBC Continental Americas heavyweight belt in 2012. The then prospect would have to get through fellow undefeated fighter Kelvin Price.

After spending the two first rounds measuring and waiting for the right moment, Wilder would strike in the third. Price would avoid a jab only to expose himself to a hard right hand that dropped him as he backpedaled towards the ropes. The referee stopped the 10 count and called things off when Price fell back to the canvas while trying to collect himself.

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In the WBC title eliminator against Malik Scott, Deontay Wilder’s power was literally unbelievable for a vocal subset of fight fans. After dropping Scott around the midpoint of the first round, some doubted the validity of the punch and accused the Philadelphian of taking a dive.

In actuality, the right hand that finished Scott was powerful enough to do damage through his guard. In a strange twist of fate, Scott would later serve as Wilder’s head coach.

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In his third defense of the WBC heavyweight title, Deontay Wilder faced the once-defeated Artur Szpilka. Days after a pre-fight scuffle, the two would meet with explosive results. 

Despite getting off to a strong start in the opening rounds, Szpilka would unravel at the end of Wilder’s punches as the fight continued. His attempt to regain the momentum backfired as he lunged forward with a left hook that was countered by a Wilder right cross. The Polish fighter fell to the floor unable to continue.

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In the fourth defense of his WBC belt, Deontay Wilder returned to his home state of Alabama just over a month after the death of Muhammad Ali. With emotions running high, “The Bronze Bomber” put on one of his most memorable performances against Chris Arreola. 

Completely dominated from beginning to end, Arreola’s corner threw in the towel after the eighth round. Afterward, Wilder revealed that he had broken his right hand and torn his biceps during the fight. Even with severe injury, his finishing ability was still present.

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Being the only man to have gone the distance with Deontay Wilder at that point, Bermane Stiverne entered the ring knowing at the very least, he could endure what the hard-hitting Alabama native could offer.

However, instead of making it to the final bell, a noticeably heavier version of Stiverne wouldn’t even see the second round. As the last minute of the opening frame came to a close, “B. Ware” hit the canvas twice before eating a combination that rendered him unconscious on the ropes.

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Imagine outboxing your opponent only to find yourself looking up at the arena lights. That’s exactly what happened to Luis Ortiz when he faced Deontay Wilder for the first time. After struggling to deal with the southpaw in the first four rounds, Wilder found his opening and put the Cuban on the canvas in the fifth.  

Ortiz even found more success in the seventh, nearly finishing him. When he was unable to capitalize, Wilder took control in the tenth, scoring a knockdown before unleashing a wild combination that ended it.

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Before stepping in the ring to defend his title against Dominic Breazeale, Deontay Wilder controversially stated that he wanted to “get a body” on his record. Considering what he did to the former college football player, Wilder wasn’t being hyperbolic.

In one of his quickest and most jarring knockouts, Wilder landed a thunderous right hand that instantly shut Breazeale’s lights out before the first round concluded. 

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The only thing more frustrating than outboxing your opponent and still getting knocked out is it happens twice. Luis Ortiz experienced an even worse fate when he rematched Deontay Wilder in 2019.

“King Kong” was largely in control for the first seven rounds. Improving upon the lessons he learned from their prior fight, Ortiz was ahead on all three scorecards. Wilder would make sure the judges had no say in the outcome when landed a single hand that sat him down. A bewildered Ortiz failed to beat the count.

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A year after suffering his second straight TKO defeat to Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder needed to let the rest of the heavyweight division know that he was still a force to reckon with. He would send that message loud and clear at the expense of Finland’s Robert Helenius.

After spending the majority of the opening round watching “The Nordic Nightmare,” Wilder found his moment. As Helenius moved in to seal the judges in the final seconds, the former champ caught him with a short right hand that laid him out cold.

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