THE RESULT: Zhilei Zhang landed two thudding right hands on Deontay Wilder, eliminating the former WBC champion in round five. This was the final contest of the Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5v5 bill in Riyadh.
The first right hook badly stunned Wilder. The second nearly turned his lights out. To his credit, the formerly feared finisher staggered to his feet and tried to convince ref Kieran McCann that he was OK. The ref and the boxing public thought otherwise, and his night (and possibly entire career) was over just like that.
KEY MOMENTS: Even though Wilder seemed slightly buzzed early on in the contest, the midway point of round five produced the main moment as Zhang detonated the right hooks. Wilder had actually shown some belated signs of life in that round before the stoppage.
RECORDS: Zhang improves to 27-2-1 (22 KOs). Wilder falls to 43-4-1 (42 KOs).
TALKING POINT: So many talking points around this fight, before, during and after. Wilder was incredibly light again, weighing 68 pounds less than his opponent. Could Zhang retain that devastating hand speed despite his age and weight? You bet he could.
Could Wilder rediscover the killer instinct of old? No, he couldn’t. The same lethargic Wilder who lost to Joseph Parker returned to the Kingdom.
As for Zhang, he also lost to Parker, but it was down to a lack of ring activity and any kind of work rate. His activity was barely any greater here, but he didn’t have to travel the full 12 rounds.
QUOTABLE: Speaking through a translator, Zhang celebrated his ‘Big Bang’ right hand and Chinese power. He also spoke on how important it was to take away the right hand while confirming that Deontay’s power was extremely legitimate.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?: This was Wilder’s fourth career loss and the third by devastating stoppage. He was talking about retirement beforehand, and it’s hard to see where he goes from here other than hanging up the gloves.
Even though Zhang won the bout, he is no spring chicken at 41, and his energy and stamina issues will not go away at this stage. After this win, though, another bumper payday is coming his way. Names like Parker (rematch) or Agit Kabayel were mentioned.
