The former wife of boxing legend Muhammad Ali was all praises for Deontay Wilder after his seventh round knockout win last weekend.
Wilder, the current WBC heavyweight champion, trooped to Las Vegas last Saturday as he took on Luis Ortiz for their rematch.
Back in March 2018, the 40-year old Ortiz almost pushed Wilder to his limits in their first heavyweight title fight.
The Cuban powerhouse was leading in the scorecards before the American power-hitter nailed the finishing touch in the tenth round.
The same story happened in their second encounter.
Ortiz outboxed Wilder in the first five rounds but the defending champion turned the tables around using his trademark knockout power.
Wilder landed a massive right hand in the seventh round and Ortiz could no longer continue to fight.
It was Wilder’s tenth straight title-defence and his 41st knockout wins in 43 fights.
Hardest Hitter
Following the victory, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ hailed himself as the hardest hitting puncher in the history of boxing.
“I am the hardest-hitting puncher in boxing history, period. I’m 42-0 with 41 KOs. The numbers speak for itself.”
“I’ve got a 97 percent knockout ratio. I’m above everybody. Numbers don’t lie,” he told TMZ.
Wilder also took a swipe on former two-time heavyweight champ George Foreman, who said he is still behind some boxing greats in that category.
“So I don’t know what Foreman is talking about. You know I love Foreman as well, boxing is a small community. They gotta learn how to give me my credit.”
“At this point in time, there’s no denying because over and over I’m going to prove them wrong each and every time.”
“You’re going to be looking silly, so at this point just give me my roses while I’m here. I only have six years left. That’s it. Then you can go back to yourself.”
Greatest Of All-Time
While he considers himself as the best puncher ever, Muhammad Ali’s ex-wife, Khalilah Ali, declared the American champ as the greatest boxer ever to set foot in the ring.
Khalilah, who was married to Ali from 1966 to 1977, had some kind words for Wilder after his masterful performance against Ortiz.
“You are definitely the King of the Ring, you don’t have to prove anything, just do your thing,” he told the American in a video from Fight Hype.
“I told him, I said ‘look at that brother, you’re in trouble’. I knew it.”
“I know the greatest when I see it. You are the GOAT [greatest of all time] brother. Thank you so much.”
Do you agree with Khalilah Ali’s claim? Is Deontay Wilder the greatest boxer of all-time?
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Deontay Wilder and Muhammad Ali)