I’m From Edo State, Nigeria- Deontay Wilder Reveals His Roots
Ava Arnold
Updated on January 02, 2026
American professional boxer, Deontay Leshun Wilder has disclosed his desire to link up with his roots and learn more about his heritage as a black man.
Wilder was spotted in a viral YouTube video declaring his love for his motherland as he d isclosed his plans to return to his native Edo state and learn more about the culture of his ancestors. Wilder has never been to Nigeria but it is supposed he carried out a DNA test to check his ancestry.
He said: “I want to go back and learn more about my culture and information with things about me, Once I’m done with what I’m doing, I’m going back to see my tribe Edo, I want to see my culture and my ancestors and learn a lot of things. We all have lots of things that we are connected to that we know nothing about. I’ll love to go there and do research about my roots and my tribe,”
The U.S. based professional boxer enjoyed a 5-year reign as the WBC heavyweight champion between 2015 and 2020, losing his strap in a bout with Tyson Fury in February, 2020.
Anthony Joshua’s dream of fighting Tyson Fury may not come into reality after Deontay Wilder stepped into the picture with a court ruling from an arbitrator, who has ordered Fury to see to the end of his deal with the American.
According to the court, the gypsy king signed a deal to fight Wilder thrice in the year. With just a few months to the highly anticipated match in the history of British boxing to take place, Wilder has appeared with the order, aborting any plan of the bout taking place as he is ready to take on Fury one last time.
