The WBC heavyweight champion played a variety of sports as a teenager but was forced to turn to the fight game in a bid to provide for his family
For a man renowned for stopping opponents, perhaps it shouldn't come as much as a surprise to learn that Deontay Wilder was once just as drawn to the idea of stopping shots.
As a multi-talented teenager blessed with both an imposing physique and amazing agility, the American tried his hand at a variety of sports.
"I played football, basketball, baseball, ran track and if I had had time for soccer, I would have done that as well," Wilder explained on iNews.