It was announced today that Marsellos Wilder, the younger brother of WBC heavyweight champion Deontay, will make his UK debut on February 23 at The O2 in London. Marsellos is creating a name for himself in the division below at cruiserweight where he’s undefeated in three fights with two knockouts. The 29-year-old Marsellos from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, first fights this Saturday night against Will Florentino on the PBC show in Brooklyn, New York.
Marsellos will then follow in the footsteps of Deontay, who stopped Olympic champion Audley Harrison inside a round in Sheffield in April 2013, by having his first fight in the UK. Deontay will accompany Marsellos on his first excursion to the UK.
“I feel super duper blessed,” said Marsellos. “I’m grateful to get this ultimate experience to be able to go to another country and showcase my talents to another culture. I’m going to give it my all and give it my best for the fans in the UK and represent the U.S.”
“It’s going to be great to have my brother who is the Heavyweight Champion of the World to be able to watch me perform in the UK. It brings me a lot of motivation and pride to be able to perform in the UK and represent our last name. That’s amazing.”
Deontay beamed, “I think it’s a grand deal for him to be able to display his talent before the UK fans. Boxing is very popular there. It’s going to be fun to be able to root him on. It’s going to be good for him to get that experience outside of the U.S. I’m very excited for him. I’m looking forward to coming over there and being with the fans and to show support for that fact that we’re teamed with ITV and we’ll be doing PBC shows there.”
Marsellos was a highly talented football player with plans to enter the NFL, but was encouraged to enter boxing by Deontay who said he’d be perfect to fight in the cruiserweight division with his size and athleticism.
He had a baptism of fire for the first time he ever went through the ropes when he had to spar against Deontay, then a World Champion, but it proved to be a motivational moment for him and after only seven fights in the amateurs he quickly made the move to becoming a professional.