Wilder And Zhang Size Each Other Up At The Weigh-In
The weigh-in for Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang took place as they faced off on June 1.
The heavyweights will represent Matchroom and Queensbury Promotions. Wilder is Eddie Hearn’s team captain. He is looking to rectify his loss to Joseph Parker. The Bronze Bomber was out of sorts, as his right hand and jab were missing throughout the fight. Wilder has admitted that he could retire if he loses, making it vital that the 38-year-old wins if he wants the lucrative Anthony Joshua fight. Wilder weighed in at 214.6 pounds.
Zhang also lost to Parker, but he fared much better. He sent Parker to the canvas on two occasions. However, the Chinese could not sustain that as Parker worked his way back into the fight to win a decision. Zhang is also at the tail end of his career at 41, making this a must-win fight.Β Zhang hit the scales at 282.8 pounds.
Filip Hrgovic takes on Daniel Dubois for the IBF Interim Heavyweight Belt in the co-main event. The winner could become the full champion if Oleksandr Usyk is not given an exemption from the IBF and is stripped. Dubois stopped Jarrell Miller in the tenth round in his last bout, while Hrgovic defeated an aging Mark De Mori who is 42.Β Dubois weighed 245.8 pounds, while Hrgovic came in at 247.4 pounds.
Predictions
“Let me start off by saying, you know when it is a good fight when you go back and forth with your pick. My first pick was Wilder because of his power and how he did well with Ortiz who is a southpaw, but then I go back to Zhang who has been in with punchers and did well (i.e. Hrgovic and Joyce). They both fought the same guy in Parker, and both didnβt look great, but I am going to go with Zhang simple because he had Parker down twice in the fight with him. This is why you have to love heavyweight fighting because one punch can change it all. They both have power so I think someone will go down,” Zhang’s manager Jolene Mizzone
“The winner of the upcoming fight between Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang should set them up to get back into the mix of the heavyweight division. Ironically, they are both coming off loses to Joseph Parker. They can both bang hard but they lack basic boxing skills. I think Zhang will give Wilder problems early on with his southpaw right jabs and straight lefts to the head. He could catch Wilder with the left and drop him. But I think Wilder will be smart enough to use his jab following it up by a straight right to Zhangβs head, a punch that works well against southpaws, dropping him to get the knockout win inside three rounds,” Wayne McCullough (former world champion)
Weigh In
Full Results
Deontay Wilder (214.6) vs. Zhilei Zhang (282.8)
Filip Hrgovic (247.4) vs. Daniel Dubois (245.8)
Dmitry Bivol (175) vs. Malik Zinad (174.2)
Craig Richards (174.2) vs. Willy Hutchinson (174)
Hamzah Sheeraz (159.6) vs. Austin Williams (159.4)
Raymond Ford (125.4) vs. Nick Ball (125.8)
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