Deontay Wilder Will Bring Desperate Approach to Under Role Against Zhilei Zhang

May 31, 2024

8 months

Deontay Wilder was once considered one of the heavyweight contenders who could unify the championship belts. However, Wilder’s run in top-level fights has him clinging to the hope of getting another championship-level opportunity. Wilder was being set up for a possible match with Anthony Joshua but saw that disappear last December when he took a stunning loss to Joseph Parker.

While Wilder was once feared for his ability to knock out any opponent, that fear has faded. Wilder has now lost three of his previous four fights. His upcoming opponent, Zhilei Zhang, also knows the pain of facing Parker.

Zhang fought for the interim WBO heavyweight championship back in March. It was clear Zhang had the power to be champion. He floored Parker twice; however, Zhang struggled with his gas tank.

When Parker refused to stay down, Zhang wilted in the later rounds. Parker stacked round toward the end of the fight to pull off an upset majority decision victory. Online boxing news shows that both men need a win to remain a legitimate contender in the heavyweight division title picture.

Zhang and Wilder are two fighters who have been on a collision course for some time. Due to an injury to another fighter, Zhang and Wilder were asked to headline this card. Wilder still has immense appeal because of his one-shot knockout power.

Here’s a closer look at the fight.

Did Fury Shatter the Wild Myth?

Wilder may have been headed toward a title unication belt had he finished off Tyson Fury during a controversial split draw back in 2018. However, following the first fight, Wilder was drawn back into fighting Fury due to the intense interest. The two men would face off again in February 2020 and October 2021.

During both fights, Wilder had a hard time recapturing the magic of the first fight. The much larger Fury leaned on and beatdown Wilder. Taking those two knockout losses in such short fashion seemed to drain the magic out of Wilder.

While Wilder bounced back with his 42nd career knockout against Robert Helenius, he laid an egg and looked like a shell of himself during his unanimous decision loss to Parker last December.

Can Zhang End Things Early?

Zhang has show-stopping power. The question is, what happens if that power isn’t enough? Zhang hit Parker with several heavy punches that sent Parker to the canvas twice.

But when Parker got up and kept fighting, Zhang had a hard time catching up. Zhang has collected 21 of his 26 career wins by knockout. It’s hard to imagine him and Wilder going the distance.

But Zhang, an Olympic silver medalist, has yet to really breakthrough at the top of the heavyweight scene. Trending boxing news shows that Zhang needs this win to stay in the heavyweight picture. Each man has a puncher’s chance to win.

In this case, it is better to trust the fighter with a more defined history of success. While it is possible that Wilder may be washed up, the power will still be there. Zhang has a history of fading, while Wilder has always been a well-conditioned fighter.

Bets to consider: Under 6.5 rounds (-125), Wilder by KO (+150)

Change at the Top of the Card

Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev were set to meet this weekend to settle who was going to be the undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world. But life happened. Instead, Beterbiev was forced to withdraw from the fight in early May due to a ruptured meniscus.

On short notice, it was difficult to find an opponent that could push Bivol. Malik Zinad chose to step in and take on one of the top light heavyweight fighters in the sport. Zinad is 22-0 in his career, but doesn’t have much on his resume other than a few regional titles.

Bivol has slowly built his reputation into one of the top fighters in the world. He is also 22-0 and owns a recent win over Canelo Alavarez. Bivol has retained the WBA (super) light heavyweight title in six straight defenses.

Boxing news latest headlines shows that Zinad is a heavy betting underdog at +1400. Zinad will need to find some sort of secret recipe to win on short notice. Count on Bivol to take care of business here before turning his attention back to fighting Beterbiev by the end of the year.

Both men still want to make that fight happen. Bivol won’t jeopardize that with a poor showing here.

Bets to consider: Bivol by KO -140

Hrgovic Looks for Big Win at Heavyweight

Filip Hrgovic has started to build up the backbone of being a bona fide heavyweight contender. What Hrgovic needs is a win against a championship-level fighter. He is 17-0 with 14 knockouts in his career.

Hrgovic’s best win was a unanimous decision win over Zhang in August 2022. Since then, Hrgovic picked up knockout wins over Demsey McKean and Mark de Mori. Fighting Daniel Dubois this weekend will give Hrgovic some of what he is looking for.

Dubois is a former world championship challenger. During a 2023 fight with Oleksandr Usyk, Dubois took a ninth-round knockout loss but protested the defeat due to low blows. However, the replay showed that Usyk didn’t land the knockout blow with an illegal shot.

Dubois, at one point, grabbed the WBA (Regular) heavyweight title by beating Trevor Bryan in June 2022. He defended the belt against Kevin Lerena before losing to Usyk. This is a real chance for Hrgovic to make his mark by beating an aging heavyweight.

Bets to consider: Hrgovic by KO (-115), Under 8.5 rounds (-135)

Here are some other fights on the card not mentioned above: