It looked like it was a matter of time for Zhilei Zhang, who got Deontay Wilder, a Tuscaloosa native, to fall in the fifth round in a heavyweight boxing bout at Kingdom Arena in Riyad, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) never seemed to get control of the fight with Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs). Wilder was spun around after trying to land one of his signature right hand punches and Zhang was able to take advantage and send Wilder to the floor with a right hand of his own. Wilder tried to get up but stumbled as the referee called the fight with 1:51 left in the fifth round.
Wilder was the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in boxing before launching his pro career that saw him rise to heavyweight champion of the world with the WBC title from 2015-2020. The fight was a part of the 5v5 Matchroom vs. Queensberry card between promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn.
Zhang is a southpaw from China and came into the fight weighing in at 282.8 pounds and at 6-foot-6. Wilder came in at 6-7 and 214.6 pounds.
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Deontay Wilder can’t get the right hand to go
Wilder has shown the ability to be lethal with his right hand but struggled to get it going against Zhang. In the third round, Wilder was able to connect a couple times with the right never got the shot he needed. He only had nine punches land in the first three rounds out of the 64 he attempted to throw.
It was a repeat of his last fight against Joseph Parker, a decision loss.
Wilder sees massive weight disadvantage
Wilder has been used to being the smaller fighter, at least weight-wise. In most recent fights he has weighed around 214 after fighting at a career high 238 pounds against Tyson Fury. Even against Fury, who came into one fight over 270, Wilder hasn’t had to deal with an over 68-pound weight difference as in this bout. Zhang used his size to his advantage, keeping Wilder in the corner at times.
What’s next for Deontay Wilder?
While it is still unclear if Wilder will take another fight, he has talked about retiring before he turns 40 and has thought about retirement after his last few fights. Saudi Arabian entertainment official Turki Alalshikh posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that Wilder is slated to fight Jared Anderson in Los Angeles on Aug. 3. His future is uncertain after this defeat.
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