Jie Zhang knocked out Deontay Wilder. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
In a fight between two knockout artists, Jie Zhang found home first, defeating former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder via KO in the fifth round.
Neither fighter looked particularly impressive, but it was a bad night for Wilder, who again looked tentative as commentators speculated that his career was nearing its end. Both fighters seemed to be well aware of each other’s power, but it was Zhang who found the house.
Zhang clearly hurt Wilder in the second round, but was unable to finish it off. The decision came in surprising fashion when a misplaced right hook left Wilder spinning and opened up for a brutal blow to the face from his opponent.
And it was.
It’s a must-win matchup for both fighters, and it leaves Wilder in an unbelievable position. The former WBC champion has now lost four of his last five bouts and hasn’t looked the same since his loss to Tyson Fury. He has openly discussed retirement in the run-up to this fight, which is now very possible.
Meanwhile, Zhang Jo is alive after stumbling after two wins against Joyce. He lost to Joseph Parker by majority decision in March, but now at the age of 41 is coming off another big win.
Zhang’s win came as part of Queensberry’s victory in a 5v5 against Matchroom, winning $3 million in Riyadh. Here’s how everything went live:
Live coverage is over70 updates
Result: Zhilei Zhang def. Deontay Wilder by KO at 1:51 of the 5th round
I think Wilder could have continued, but Zhang could have cut him again, and even if he survived the round, he didn’t look right there. His balance is off and he seems lost. He didn’t need to be beaten anymore.
Jang Goes Wilder In 5th Round With Stun! Wilder looked lost for most of the fight, then turned to Zhang before Zhang landed a big right hand.
Round 4: Little better from Wilder, but still not enough to win the round. Zhang is busy, but that’s not saying much. A slow fight without much action so far.
When a pure puncher starts to absolutely box, you’re in trouble, baby. You are in trouble…
Wilder has never had good balance, but now even when he isn’t caught with a punch, his balance seems off. Zhang did not do much to take advantage of this. Not yet, anyway.
Round 3: Zhang makes Wilder very uncomfortable. He doesn’t find a home for his right hand and he gets hit by a much larger zhang.
Round 2: Zhang could have hurt Wilder and was landing some shots in the corner that Wilder mostly avoided. Wilder doesn’t look like the Wilder of old. Zhang pulls him back and leads him to the former player.
Round 1: A bit out round between the two big men. Zhang’s 68-pound size advantage is noticeable, but he doesn’t drop his hands much.
Next up: The heavyweight main event between Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder.
Result: Daniel DuBois stopped Filip Harkovic at 57 seconds of the 8th round
The ref in the ring looks at Dr. Harkovic’s cuts and the ref calls a bot!
Round 7: Good round for Dubois. Landing some big shots and starting to take control. Hrkovic finds the gas and he’s still standing. May have been saved by the bell
Round 6: More punches from both sides, but Dubois comes out strong.
No one told us about someone illegally body piercing?
Dubois has a chin of steel or Hrgovic doesn’t punch very hard.
Deontay Wilder vs. Zeely Zhang Fight card full results
Heavyweight: Zhili Zhang def. Deontay Wilder by KO at 1:51 of the 5th round
Heavyweight: Daniel Dubois def. Filip Harkovic by TKO at 0:57 of the 8th round
Light Heavyweight: Dimitri Bivol def. Malik Zinat by TKO at 2:06 of round 6
Middleweight: Hamza Sheeras def. Austin Williams by TKO at 0:45 of round 11
Featherweight: Nick Paul def. Ray Ford by split decision (115-113, 113-115, 115-113)
