Zhilei Zhang is the most recent boxer to have shared the ring with Deontay Wilder.
It was one year ago that the Chinese heavyweight stepped up to take on Wilder, the American former world champion. Inside 15 minutes and five rounds, the fight was over as ‘Big Bang’ demolished ‘The Bronze Bomber’ and left him out on the canvas.
It concluded a torrid run for Wilder, who in December 2023 lost on points to Joseph Parker. Before that, he had a straight-forward first-round win over Robert Helenius, and that came after a pair of knockout losses to Tyson Fury, which concluded their all-action trilogy.
Wilder has long vowed that he has more to give and finally makes a return on June 27 against the little-known Tyrrell Herndon. It is a must-win fight if the former long-time WBC ruler is to get back into contention for the biggest fights.
Speaking ahead of that to Seconds Out, Zhang assessed his former foe’s power.
“He’s very powerful. His power lives up to the hype. I was able to take away his power in my own way so he couldn’t land that much, but in the fifth round he did land a punch and I definitely felt it, but I ate it and moved forward.”
Zhang went on to fight Agit Kabayel in February of this year and was stopped inside six, leaving questions about his own future in the division.
Wilder, meanwhile, is already being linked with future fights against the likes of Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua should he come through Herndon.
