Inside Deontay Wilder’s love life with 8 kids and bedding brother’s girlfriend
Deontay Wilder takes on Derek Chisora at the O2 Arena on Saturday night
Deontay Wilder has had a wild love life(Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Deontay Wilder makes his return to the spotlight as he faces Derek Chisora at the O2 Arena on Saturday evening. The American heavyweight will enter the ring for the 50th bout of his professional career, with the pair combining for a century of fights between them.
The former world heavyweight champion was firmly on the path to greatness before meeting Tyson Fury, having begun his career with 40 consecutive victories.
A draw with Fury in 2018, followed by successive defeats in 2020 and 2021, dramatically derailed his career trajectory. The 40-year-old is now aiming to notch his 45th victory against Chisora, who has previously admitted he intends to hang up his gloves after his 50th bout.
Here, Manchester Evening News takes a closer look at Wilder, including allegations of infidelity and his many children with several different partners.
Watch Chisora vs Wilder live on DAZN
British boxer Derek Chisora will face American Deontay Wilder at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday, April 4.
Fans can order the fight for £24.99 with DAZN pay-per-view or get it free with the new DAZN Ultimate Tier.
Alleged affair with brother’s partner
Two years ago, Wilder’s brother Marsellos caused a stir by taking to social media to accuse the heavyweight of engaging in an affair with his long-term girlfriend.
The fellow boxer claimed he had “redhandedly caught” Wilder with two of his former partners, “but let that slide”. However, he alleges that catching him “doing the same thing… behind my back with my girl of three-plus years” proved to be the final straw.
The lengthy Instagram post alleged that Marsellos had been dismissed from his role as his brother’s personal assistant following Wilder’s alleged infidelity.
He claimed that Wilder harboured “envy, jealousy and hate” towards him, and shared voice notes sent from the boxer to his brother. The post, published on Valentine’s Day in 2024, attracted numerous comments from worried supporters condemning Wilder.
Marsellos even alleged that his brother had channelled earnings from his boxing career to fund his adulterous activities. None of these claims have ever been proven and Wilder has never publicly responded to his brother’s allegations.
Painful break-up
Wilder recently confessed that he has been “rebuilding” his life following a turbulent separation from former fiancée, Telli Swift. The couple first got together in 2015 and parted ways in August last year, bringing a decade-long partnership to a close.
Wilder and Telli share one child and became engaged in 2018. The fighter, who is now reportedly seeing a new woman whose identity remains unknown, acknowledged during a pre-fight press conference that he is the “happiest I’ve been in a long time” having moved on from the heartache.
He told The Sun: “I’m sorry, Derek, I love you, man, but you’re the one. I’m the one for him, and he’s the one for me.
“And I’m just the happiest I’ve been in a long, long, long time, and it’s a lot of work that had to be done, and it has nothing to do with anything that’s happened in a boxing ring. It’s all personal, it’s all dealing with people that has been close to me and the certain things that have happened and you just can’t believe the things that have happened and it’s just tore your heart up.
“Over the years, I have been rebuilding and picking up the pieces of my heart trying to put it back together. And it’s finally back together, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. Even when I talk, I can feel it.
“Most of the time I’m very passionate when I speak but before coming I would speak, I didn’t feel that passion, I would just be speaking. But at this moment in time, I speak with passion, I speak with pride and I’m so happy.”
Eight children
Unlike numerous sports personalities, Wilder has been remarkably candid about his domestic life. The 40-year-old has fathered eight kids, the first being Naieya.
Wilder’s eldest daughter, whom he shares with Helen Duncan, was born with a severe spinal condition called spina bifida. This motivated him to pursue boxing to earn income to support his child.
He has eight children with four different women, including his latest former partner, Telli. His boys are Deontay Jr, Dereon and he also has a daughter named Ava.
He played a role in Telli’s son Kerron’s upbringing throughout their relationship, and the pair had a daughter, Kaori. Wilder had Ava, Deontay Jr. and Dereon with Jessica Scales, who he was married to for eight years.
The identities of Wilder’s remaining three kids and their mother have been kept confidential.