Saturday night may have been the end for former boxing champion Deontay Wilder. Heading into his fight with Zhilei Zhang, Wilder said that, “this could be the final goodbye, the farewell of Deontay Wilder,” were he to lose the fight. Not only did he lose, but it was in brutal fashion.
In the fifth round, Zhilei Zhang floored Deontay Wilder with a perfectly timed counter right hook. It sent Wilder spinning, as he was defenseless heading back into the corner. Like a predator hunting its prey, Zhang sprinted in and landed another devastating right that sent Wilder to the canvas.
Impressively, Wilder was able to get up ahead of the referee’s 10 count. But with his legs wobbly and not having his bearings, the fight was waved off with 1:51 remaining in the fifth round.
“I blocked a few punches, but hell yeah, he punches hard,” Zhang, speaking through an interpreter, said of his opponent. “I give him a lot of respect. He’s a heavy puncher. … I successfully took his right hand away.”
The devastating right hand that has provided so many highlights for Deontay Wilder in his career was not there on Saturday. He would ready his big punch but didn’t pull the trigger enough.
Wilder is now 43-4-1 in his career with 42 knockouts. He has lost four out of his last five fights, dropping two to Tyson Fury in their championship trilogy. A loss to Joseph Parker on the cards followed the Fury bouts ahead of Saturday’s loss.
With the victory, the 41-year-old Zhilei Zhang records the biggest win of his career. He moves to 27-2-1 with 21 knockouts, bouncing back from a loss to Parker himself. In their fight in March, Zhang knocked Parker down twice but still lost on the cards.
This is a huge win, as Zhang could be back on the path to contending for a title. That is currently held by Oleksandr Usyk, who defeated Fury in May to win the undisputed championship in Riyadh.
If this is the last time we see Deontay Wilder in the ring, he will go out as one of the most feared heavyweights ever. His punching power is rivaled by few in the world, resulting in some devastating knockouts of his own.
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