Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang is being labelled as a must win fight for both men, with a path back to the top of division likely closed to whoever suffers defeat.
Zhang and Wilder are both coming off upset loses to former heavyweight champion, Joseph Parker.
The New Zealander claimed a near shutout points victory against ‘The Bronze Bomber’, with the American uncharacteristically unable to let his hands go.
Just three months later and Parker stopped Zhang’s momentum after two knockout victories over Joe Joyce. In a fight where he had to get up off the floor twice, Parker won a close majority decision on the cards.
At 41 and 38-years-old it’s almost certainly last chance saloon for both Zhang and Wilder, with the Alabama puncher admitting this could be his ‘final farewell’ if he doesn’t get his hand raised on Saturday night.
Former cruiserweight world champion turned DAZN analyst, Tony Bellew, is predicting an exciting affair, with Wilder getting off the canvas to stop Zhang.
“Wilder gets off the floor to stop Zhang! Starts slow but ends abruptly I think!”
Wilder gets off the floor to stop Zhang! Starts slow but ends abruptly I think! I’m putting a big 99p on it in the bookies! #TruthBeToldIHaveNoIdea
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) June 1, 2024
With both men being amongst the heaviest hitters in the division, like Bellew, the majority of pundits don’t believe the scorecards will be required for this one.
Zhang vs Wilder takes place on June 1 in Saudi Arabia and headlines a card that pits five fighters from Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom stable against five fighters from Frank Warren’s Queensberry roster. The show will be broadcast live on DAZN PPV.
