Longtime village resident and professional boxer Samuel Wildenhaus worked on his right hook in his Polecat Street garage last week, as he prepared for an upcoming fight in Middletown on Saturday, June 13. (Photo by Reilly Dixon)
Villager laces up for upcoming fight
- Published: June 8, 2026
Longtime villager Sam Wildenhaus had a busy spring.
When he’s not putting in time at his family’s carpet store or doing miscellaneous handyman jobs, he’s at home, taking care of his aging parents. What time the 27-year-old can eke out for himself, he’s reliably in the ring, sharpening his hooks and quickening his footwork.
The professional boxer has been training doggedly for his next big fight, set for Saturday, June 13, at Middletown’s Land of Illusion. Wildenhaus is up against a formidable opponent — 38-year-old firefighter and seasoned boxer DeAndre Ware.
“He’s probably the bigger, stronger guy,” Wildenhaus said. “But I’m convinced I can beat him. I have other tools than size or strength. I’m sharper than he is. And people say I have more of an arsenal — that I’m the better puncher.”
Wildenhaus spoke with the News last week from his Polecat Road garage, where several Spalding bags hang from the rafters — the villager’s home gym for when he can’t make it out to Dayton to spar or train.
Next Saturday’s fight will be the first for Wildenhaus since February, when his near-pristine professional career took a bit of a hit when he got his first draw. Before that, his record was 13 wins and four losses, rendering him 292 out of 1,932 professional boxers worldwide in his light-heavy division. Still, February’s draw was defeating for Wildenhaus.
“That’s one of the most challenging parts about boxing — coming off losses, not being too hard on yourself,” he said.
He added: “You don’t want to glorify what you did right, and at the same time, you don’t want to vilify what you did wrong,” he said. “And that’s hard to do — to not think little of yourself when you fail and not think too big of yourself when you win.”
Wildenhaus hasn’t just been hitting the bags in preparation for this fight — he’s been doing his homework, watching videos of his upcoming opponent’s past fights and learning his moves.
“He’s like me: a pressure fighter. I come forward right away to try to dictate the pace and to force guys to find the outside,” Wildenhaus explained. “This guy is also a pressure fighter.”
But aside from packing a bigger punch, Wildenhaus said his guiding philosophy steers him in the ring — and outside, as it turns out.
Photo courtesy of Tapology.com
“It sounds strange, but you can be too prepared for some situations,” he said. “Yes, it’s important to be prepared for anything, but that can sometimes keep you from thinking on your feet. There have been so many fights that I’ve gone into with a strategy, but I was forced to update almost right away.”
The worsening health and mobility issues of his father, William Wildenhaus, was one of those unexpected hits, the boxer said. So while the son’s daily training — not infrequently twice a day, he said — helps condition his cuts and jabs, it also helps him lift and move his dad around the house.
“He’s my coach,” he said.
And the elder Wildenhaus has assumed that role since he took Sam to his first boxing exhibition around the time he was 10. Like many wannabe boxers, the young Wildenhaus got stars in his eyes when he first saw the “Rocky” movies. Soon after, his parents signed him up for “kids in mits” classes in Dayton. Wildenhaus had his first spar at 13, and not long after, his first real fight.
By the time he was 20, Wildenhaus ascended his amateur status and went pro.
For much of his career, Wildenhaus has been motivated by the allure of one day becoming world champion, but he said that over recent years, that dream has faded into the background — nowadays, he fights for the simple love of the sport.
“It can be brutal, but it’s also a thinking man’s game — some people compare it to chess,” he noted.
Along those lines, Wildenhaus said the ring allows him to pursue an intellectual pet interest of his: psychology. Boxing, he said, is a fast-paced chance to plumb the depths of his opponent’s mind — the way he deals with fear, problem-solving and expressions of negativity.
“It’s the most honest sport there is. There’s no hiding who you are in the ring, so you can really see your opponent deep down,” he said.
And he invites all his village neighbors to see him in all his boxing honesty laid bare at Saturday’s fight. Wildenhaus’ brawl with Ware is the main event of a series of earlier skirmishes.
“We’ll see if it goes all eight rounds,” he said. “I’m not going to walk out without some scars or bruises, but I think I can win this.”
The event is sponsored by Rising Star Boxing and is part of the Prizefighter Series.
Doors to the event, which will take place at Land of Illusion’s outdoor pavilion stage, 8762 Thomas Road, Middletown, Ohio, open at 7 p.m., and Wildenhaus’ fight begins tentatively at 8 p.m. T
ickets start at $80 and can be purchased through Wildenhaus by calling or texting him at 937-212-4770.
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