When ZHILEI ZHANG and Matchroom captain Deontay Wilder face off in Riyadh on Saturday night, ZHANG will have an impressive 68.2lb weight advantage.
At the Kingdom Arena, the fifth and final clash of the extraordinary Matchroom v Queensberry event will witness the encounter between the two heavyweights.
After suffering decision defeats against Joseph Parker, both fighters are now preparing to face each other. Wilder has referred to this upcoming match as a retirement party for the unfortunate loser.
The Bronze Bomber weighed in at 214 1/2lbs, nearly five stone lighter than Zhang who tipped the scales at 282 3/4lbs. Zhang, the Chinese southpaw, was 8 3/4lbs lighter than his weight when he lost to Parker.
However, the tension grew as the two formidable contenders stepped onto the scales before their highly anticipated bout for the interim IBF title. Filip Hrgovic, hailing from Team Matchroom and boasting an unbeaten record, tipped the scales at 247 1/2lbs. Meanwhile, Daniel Dubois, at his heaviest weight ever in his career, weighed in just over two pounds lighter at 245 3/4lbs.
Despite Ray Ford’s insistence on moving up to 130lbs, the WBA featherweight champion had no trouble making weight. He successfully weighed in at 125 1/2lbs for his defense against Nick Ball from Queensberry, who weighed in at 125 3/4lbs.
Both Hamzah Sheeraz and Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams, undefeated middleweight fighters, weighed in at 159 1/2lbs for their highly anticipated match, which many predict to be the highlight of the night. Sheeraz, regarded as Queensberry’s 160lb representative and the captain of Team Queensberry, carries the hopes of his team. However, Williams, donning a headdress during the event, understands that a win will bring him closer to a chance at a world title.
Craig Richards, a loyal representative of Matchroom for an extended period, weighed in at 174 1/4lbs in the light-heavyweight division. Additionally, Willy Hutchinson, boasting a record of 17-1, easily met the weight requirement by scaling in at 174lbs.
Dmitry Bivol, the WBA light-heavyweight champion, did not have the same level of comfort in comparison to his counterparts, Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn, as he defends his title against Malik Zinad. This fight stands out as the only one on the card that does not involve a clash between Warren and Hearn.
Instead of facing Arthur Beterbiev as planned, Bivol found himself up against Zinad due to the Russian’s injury. Weighing in exactly at the 175lbs limit, the 33-year-old Bivol recognizes that a win in this bout would pave the way for the highly anticipated unification fight with Beterbiev.
