As part of the five-versus-five fight promotion, Deontay Wilder 43-3-1 (42) takes on Zhilei Zhang 26-2-1 (21) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 1. A lot is at stake.
The 38-year-old former WBC heavyweight champion has seen his career plateau in recent years. In the last 30 months, he has only fought twice, losing to Joseph Parker in a virtual shutout and being destroyed by Robert Helenius in the first round.
Following two consecutive knockout losses to current WBC champion Tyson Fury, he had a record of 1-3 in his previous four fights spanning more than four years.
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It has cost him to be in such bad form lately. Following his defeat by former WBO ruler Parker, a long-planned matchup with two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was shelved.
However, in a stunning turn of events, it appears like, under the perfect circumstances, that battle may still happen this year.
“No matter what happens, people will always want to see that fight,” Wilder stated to BBC Sport. “I estimated the probability of it occurring to be in the upper 90s.”
“As I’ve always stated, it would be unfortunate if we never had arguments. That one argument, that one evening, is all it takes. That one fight, that night, is going to happen on June 1.
When Deontay Wilder takes off Zhang’s head, everyone goes insane. Once more, it’s Wilder against Joshua. They desire it once more.
Before the battle against 32-year-old Parker from New Zealand, Wilder acknowledged that he had lost his edge, but he is adamant that he has regained his drive. In their fight last month, Zhang, a 40-year-old Chinese southpaw, felled Parker twice, but ultimately lost by majority decision. Zhang will also need it.
“That monster was no longer there,” declared Wilder. It was one of those dull conflicts where everyone won if they took any kind of action.
That is how I interpret that altercation. There is absolutely no comparison between Joseph Parker and Deontay Wilder. Simply put, he was the superior man that evening.
Joshua’s 34-year-old British promoter Matchroom Boxing, has appointed Wilder as their captain for their “5v5” show, which matches boxers from their stable against competitors Queensberry Promotions, which is one reason the fight appears to still be happening.
“How ironic that is, but how special and sweet it is at the same time, to be a part of Matchroom and the captain,” Wilder remarked to The Stomping Ground.
“A wise old guy once taught me that business is business, approach it as such, even when you’re doing it with people you don’t like.
Sometimes you may have to work with people you’ll never see in a million years, but at the end of the day, after spending so much time with someone and getting to know them, you can categorize or place them in the appropriate place when they’re in your environment.
“Therefore, you can coexist with someone when you know how to handle them and get along with them.”
