Zhilei Zhang vs. Deontay Wilder Ends With Brutal Knockout

On Saturday, June 1, Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) brutally stopped Deontay Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs), winning by fifth-round stoppage, as Queensberry won the night 10-0. The heavyweight bout took place as a part of the 5v5 card at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the entire card available in a number of regions on DAZN through PPV as well as on TNT Sports. Earlier in the night – we saw victories for Willie Hutchinson and Nick Ball before Dmitry Bivol and Hamzah Sheeraz won their respective bouts. We also saw Daniel Dubois record a vital win over Filip Hrgovic.

Zhilei Zhang Stops Deontay Wilder in Round Five

Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang Recap

Zhang took the initiative in the first round – but both fighters were cagey in the opening round before the Chinese heavyweight backed the American up and worked his body in round two, with Wilder having limited success with single shots. The highlight of the third round saw Zhang land a right hook, which forced “The Bronze Bomber” to take evasive action. Wilder looked shot shy as he continued to paw with the jab and not much else of substance, and this carried on into round four, with both fighters failing to push the action.

Read More: Exclusive Interview: Deontay Wilder’s Hunger Reignited as He Faces Zhilei Zhang in Epic Heavyweight Battle 

The fifth round saw Wilder have some success before Zhang landed a huge right hand, which spun the American around before the Chinese heavyweight rushed in to land a big right hand that floored the American. Despite beating the count, the referee decided to wave the fight off, awarding “Big Bang” a crucial victory, giving Queensberry the 10-0 whitewash win.

Post Fight Quotes

“I would like to say a big thank you to my team.”

“I do think I learnt a lot from that fight (Joseph Parker).”

Asked about Wilders power, Zhang said: “I successfully took his right hand away.”

He continued: “Hell yeah, he punches hard.”