Two of the sport’s most devastating punchers in Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are set to go head to head on June 1, and many feel that retirement is calling for the loser.
With 63 knockouts between them, it’s hard to name a more intriguing fight that the heavyweight division could throw up. Speaking to DAZN, Tony Bellew also discussed the unique circumstances of both men coming off a loss to the same fighter.
“Zhilei Zhang against Deontay Wilder is a brilliant match-up of ferocious punchers. The only downside to this is I have no idea what either fighter has left. I go off both of their last performances against Joseph Parker. One guy didn’t throw a punch in Deontay Wilder, and the other guy [Zhang] had Joseph Parker out on his feet and was walking around the ring smiling like it was some kind of joke. I don’t want to take anything away from Joseph Parker, cause he did a job on both of them.”
The former cruiserweight world champ turned pundit went back and forth on his prediction and said it’s fully based on form, but ultimately landed at 41-year-old Zhang to end the bout early.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen in this one. If the Deontay Wilder that I’ve seen in the past past turns up, I have to favour him by knockout. But if the Deontay Wilder that fought Joseph Parker turns up, he’s getting stopped, he’s getting knocked out. I don’t know which one will turn up. I’m intrigued. I can’t wait to see it.
One of them is getting knocked out … Do you know what? I want to say Zhang knocks Wilder out because of the way Wilder boxed against Parker. I do fancy Zhilei Zhang because I know he’s gonna let his hands go. I don’t know where Deontay’s head’s at.”
Wilder-Zhang tops the Matchroom vs Queensberry 5 vs 5 bill in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 1.
