Zhilei Zhang came back from a March loss and stopped Deontay Wilder in round five with a huge right hand in the main event of Saturday’s Queensberry vs. Matchroom ‘5v5’ card in Saudi Arabia.
Both fighters were coming off of losses to former world champion Joesph Parker, each needing wins to stay alive as a top contender in an always evolving heavyweight division. Zhang does just that, while this fight may be the last time we see Wilder in the ring.
The fight had yet to heat up in round 5, when out of nowhere Zhang caught Wilder with a strong right hand, spinning him around and clearly dazing him. Zhang jumped on the out of sorts Wilder and caught him with his back turned, landing another huge right that sat Wilder down.
Wilder was counted out from there, no surprise given how clean Zhang landed the second right hand. Up until that point neither fighter had landed any real shots of note. Zhang pressured Wilder throughout the fight, receiving relatively little response from “The Bronze Bomber” but also landing few significant shots himself.
But as can often be the case with heavyweights, it only takes one shot, and Zhang showed that with another big knockout, the 22nd of his career.
With the win Zhang stays alive as a player in the heavyweight division, which was livened up by the win of Daniel Dubois on the undercard. Zhang will certainly be an option for Anthony Joshua’s next opponent later this year, while Wilder looks likely to step away from boxing after two lack luster performances in a row.
Check below for our live updates from throughout the Queensberry vs Matchroom ‘5v5’ card, headlined by Wilder vs. Zhang.
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang fight result
Zhielei Zhang defeated Deontay Wilder by fifth round knockout to bounce back from a December loss to Joesph Parker. Zhang improves to 27-2-1 with 22 knockouts.
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang fight live updates
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang: Round 5
Wilder comes alive, seemingly out of nowhere. In the opening minute he starts to throw some shots at Zhang, initiating offense for maybe the first time, no significant connects though. Wilder gets caught with a huge shot and turns his back, Zhang jumps on him and lands a huge bomb, flush to the face of Wilder and he goes down and is counted out. Zhang spun Wilder around with the first right and Wilder had no idea where Zhang was, as he launched another right, sending Wilder down for good. Zhang gets the KO win.
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang: Round 4
Through three rounds Wilder has landed just nine punches compared to over 20 for Zhang. Wilder continues to paw away at Zhang on the back foot but isn’t throwing many punches. Zhang continues to press Wilder but isn’t doing much to threaten him, despite Wilder’s lack of response to Zhang’s offense. Zhang looks to have been the more in control fighter due to his pressure, but neither fighter has done much through four rounds.
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang: Round 3
Zhang backs Wilder up with a couple left hands in the opening minute. Wilder’s spent a decent portion of this fight backed into the corner and against the ropes. Despite the pressure on Wilder, Zhang isn’t throwing a ton of punches, instead picking his spots to unload combinations. Wilder looking very similar to his last bout, hardly throwing shots, while Zhang looks better although it’s been a slow start for both fighters. Zhang likely takes that round, another quiet one.
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang: Round 2
Wilder opens the round a little more active than the previous, landing a glancing right hand. Zhang backs Wilder up with a nice shot around the two minute mark and does his best to unload on Wilder in the corner, but Wilder does well to block most of Zhang’s attack. Wilder seems content to let Zhang come at him, but it’s translated into some meaningful connects for Zhang. Zhang takes a quiet round off a few nice barrages.
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang: Round 1
The 68-pound weight difference jumps off the screen entering the fight, but Wilder doesn’t look out of place in the ring with Zhang and of course his power is the ultimate equalizer. As expected, both fighters are feeling each other out to start the fight. Wilder paws away with his left hand, trying to set up the right. Zhang applying the majority of pressure with Wilder looking to respond on the back foot. Uneventful round for both fighters.
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang undercard results
- Daniel Dubois def. Filip Hrgovic by TKO in round 8
- Dmitry Bivol def. Malik Zinad by TKO in round 6
- Hamzah Sheeraz def. Austin Williams by TKO in round 11
- Nick Ball def. Raymond Ford by split decision
- Willy Hutchinson def. Craig Richards by unanimous decision
Queensberry 10, Matchroom 0
Daniel Dubois stops Filip Hrgovic to claim interim title
Daniel Dubois defeated Filip Hrgovic by TKO in round 8 to claim the interim IBF heavyweight title and establish himself as the mandatory challenger to the winner of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk rematch.
The fight was stopped after the referee called the ringside physician over to take a look at the cuts above each of Hrgovic’s eyes. The doctor advised the referee to stop the bout, presumably because of the blood dripping into Hrgovic’s eye, impairing his vision.
Dubois makes it two wins in Saudi Arabia since his knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk. Hrgovic suffers the first defeat of his career and loses his longtime status as the IBF mandatory challenger.
Both fighters traded big shots over the course of the fight, but Dubois’ pressure and pace seemed to tire out Hrgovic as the fight went on, leading to some big landed shots. Hrgovic landed his fair share of strong shots throughout but none seemed to slow Dubois, who landed a handful of big shots in the seventh before the fight was ultimately stopped in the eighth.
Dubois mentioned Anthony Joshua as a potential next opponent after the fight. Joshua was ringside and would certainly be an option for later this year, but the outcome of Wilder vs. Zhang in the main event could throw a wrench in that plan.
Live updates from throughout the fight are below.
Filip Hrgovic vs Daniel Dubois fight live updates
Round 8: Dubois wins by doctor’s stoppage
We’ll see how Hrgovic responds after looking tired and taking some damage last round. In the first minute Dubois lands some big shots on Hrgovic against the ropes. The referee pauses the fight to take a look at the cuts above Hrgovic’s eyes. And they stop the fight! The doctor doesn’t like what he sees and the fight is stopped due to the blood dripping down into Hrgovic’s face. Cuts had opened up above each eye, pouring blood into his eye, and Hrgovic seemed fine to continue but the doctor thought otherwise.
Round 7: Dubois lands big shots on Hrgovic
Dubois still has plenty of energy midway through the fight and he’s using his legs to get inside and land some nice shots on Hrgovic. Dubois landing some big shots on a tired looking Hrgovic who’s tying up to avoid the pressure. Under a minute left and Dubois lands a big right hand on Hrgovic. Final 10 seconds and Dubois lands multiple big right hands, shaking Hrgovic late. Dubois takes the round in decisive fashion.
Round 6: Hrgovic and Dubois trade on inside
Hrgovic seems to have found a bit of a rhythm, connecting consistently and leading 58-31 on power punches through five rounds. Both fighters are trading shots on the inside with neither doing much to curb the return fire of the other. Dubois landed throughout the round, but the more impactful shots seemed to come from Hrgovic.
Round 5: Hrgovic connects on some strong shots
A cut above Hrgovic’s right eye from round 2 is confirmed to be from a punch. Midway through Hrgovic lands multiple shots on the inside before connected on a clubbing overhand right. Hrgovic landing more punches and cleaner shots than Dubois this round and managed to quell Dubois’ pressure. He should take the round.
Round 4: Hrgovic responds to Dubois pressure
Dubois opens the round well with a handful of connects. Dubois’ movement is making it difficult for Hrgovic to land flush these past couple rounds. Midway through the round Hrgovic lands a few strong shots to Dubois’ head and body. Hrgovic landing well this round but still not many shots landing cleanly. Dubois lands some nice jabs to finish the round but Hrgovic’s connects should earn him the round.
Round 3: Dubois continues to pressure Hrgovic
Dubois is the quicker man here and is doing his best to push the pace so far. Dubois continues to find some success with his jab midway through the round. Hrgovic looks labored this round and hasn’t matched the energy of Dubois, but has landed some solid shots. Dubois landed more significant shots though and should take the round off his activity.
Round 2: Dubois returns fire
Certainly no slow start to this heavyweight bout. Hrgovic is landing well early in round, but Dubois is taking the shots in stride. Midway through the round Dubois lands a pair of strong shots on Hrgovic but the Croatian walks through them. Dubois has applied the majority of pressure thus far and it started to translate to big connects in round 2. Dubois takes the round after multiple big shots land.
Round 1: Hrgovic finds home for right hand
The winner of this fight will take the interim IBF title and become mandatory challenger for the winner of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk rematch. Hrgovic is having no trouble landing the right hand on Dubois early on. Dubois is aggressive in his pressure of Hrgovic, but keeps walking into shots, although it’s not slowing him down. Hrgovic takes the round in our book off some big shots.
Dmitry Bivol gets stoppage win over Malik Zinad
Dmitry Bivol defeated Malik Zinad by TKO in round 6 to defend his WBA light heavyweight title and stay on track for an undisputed showdown against Artur Beterbiev later this year.
Bivol started strong, knocking Zinad down with a straight left in the final minute of the first round. Zinad responded well in the following rounds though, going jab-for-jab with one of the sports best. Bivol still got the better of Zinad in the majority of rounds, but Zinad kept things competitive in large part. At least until the sixth round.
In round 6, Bivol stunned Zinad and piled on the pressure, landing flush to Zinad’s head at least 10 times before the referee jumped in to stop the fight. Bivol ended any questions about his power after having gone the distance in each of his last nine fights.
It was announced in the ring after the fight that the undisputed showdown against Beterbiev has been rescheduled to October 12. Originally Bivol vs. Beterbiev was set to headline tonight’s card, but a knee injury for Beterbiev forced one of boxing’s most anticipated fights to be postponed.
Hamzah Sheeraz stops Austin Williams
Hamzah Sheeraz remains undefeated as he rolled past Austin Williams, knocking him down in round 10 before forcing the referee to step in and stop the bout in round 11, handing Williams his first career loss.
Williams opened the fight well, finding some success on the inside against the far bigger Sheeraz. It didn’t take long for Sheeraz to find his rhythm though and by the middle of the fight he was picking Williams apart at midrange. His jab consistently found a home and Williams couldn’t find a way to cut the distance.
When Williams did get inside he found some success, but it also left him in range of Sheeraz’s uppercut, which the Brit landed on multiple occasions.
Late in round 10, Williams got caught with a wicked right hook that sent him to the canvas, but he picked himself up and survived the round as the bell rung moments after. Sheeraz would capitalize soon after, landing some dazing shots in round 11 that would force the referee to step in and stop the fight.
Nick Ball narrowly defeats Ray Ford in thrilling fight
Nick Ball won the WBA featherweight title by split decision over Raymond Ford in a razor close, action packed affair. One judge scored the bout 115-113 for Ford while the other two scored it 115-113 for Ball.
The opening three rounds of the fight were tight, with the winner of each coming down to whether you preferred the activity of Ball or the accuracy of Ford.
Ball gained control and banked multiple rounds in the middle of the fight, but in round 7 Ford stunned Ball with a left hand and the tide began to turn. Ford began to use his footwork to avoid Ball’s pressure and landed some great shots on the counter while also initiating some pressure himself.
Heading into the championship rounds it seemed an even fight, five rounds a piece, with the winner set to be decided in the final six minutes. Each of the final two rounds were razor close, with both fighters emptying the tank to conclude a thrilling fight.
In the end, Ball did just enough to take Ford’s title, after fighting to a draw in a title fight against Rey Vargas in March.
Willy Hutchinson cruises past Craig Richards
Willy Hutchinson cruised past Craig Richards to a unanimous decision in a dominant performance. The scorecards were 116-112, 117-111 and 119-109.
It was all Hutchinson in the first half of the fight as he found success switching stances on Richards. Richards looked without energy in the first half, trying with little success to find a home for his right hand. He began to let his hands go in round 7 and continued to do so throughout the second half, but Hutchinson didn’t slow his pace from the first six rounds and landed lots of strong shots down the stretch.
It was the first time Hutchinson had fought past round 7, as his victory gives Queensberry an early lead over Matchroom.
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang fight pick, prediction
Wilder vs. Zhang is an interesting fight, not just because it pits two knockout artists, but also because of what it means for the careers of each fighter. Wilder is 38 and Zhang is 41, meaning neither fighter has many bouts left before they hang up the gloves. Both fighters are also coming off of a loss, coincidentally both to former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker.
Wilder has one-punch knockout power and can turn his opponents lights out in an instant. Zhang prefers to beat down and bully his opponents until they either quit or the referee stops the bout. There’s potential for this to be a slug fest, particularly if Zhang can handle the power of Wilder.
But it’s hard to believe we’ll see the older Wilder after he looked wholly uninspired in the unanimous decision loss to Parker in December. This fight will depend on what version of Wilder we get, but it seems more likely that Zhang beats away at Wilder for 12 and “The Bronze Bomber” is unable to respond with a shot that backs him up.
Despite the knockout power both fighters possess, we see Zhang pounding away to a decision on the cards, unable to stop Wilder but dealing some damage in the process. It would be no surprise to see both fighters hit the canvas in this one.
Prediction: Zhilei Zhang def. Deontay Wilder by unanimous decision
Undercard predictions: Filip Hrgovic def. Daniel Dubois by KO-7; Dmitry Bivol def. Malik Zinad by TKO-11; Ray Ford def. Nick Ball by SD; Hamzah Sheeraz def. Austin Williams by KO-9; Craig Richards def. Willy Hutchinson by UD.
Queensberry vs Matchroom ‘5v5’ TV channel, streaming, how to watch
The Queensberry vs. Matchroom ‘5v5’ headlined by Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang is available on DAZN pay-per-view in the United States. A DAZN subscription is needed to purchase the pay-per-view.
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Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang start time
The Queensberry vs Matchroom ‘5v5’ fight card starts at 1 p.m. (CT) with the main event ring walks expected at approximately 6 p.m. (CT).
- Pay-per-view start: 1 p.m. CT
- Wilder vs. Zhang ring walks: approx. 6 p.m. CT
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang pay-per-view price
The Queensberry vs Matchroom ‘5v5’ card, headlined by Wilder vs. Zhang, is available via DAZN pay-per-view for $69.99. A DAZN subscription is needed to purchase the pay-per-view.
Queensberry vs Matchroom ‘5v5’ complete fight card
The Queensberry vs Matchroom fight card features five matchups, each pitting a Matchroom fighter against a Queensberry fighter. In addition to those five fights, the undercard will feature WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol defending his title against the undefeated Malik Zinad.
In an effort to increase the competition, points will be awarded after each fight with the winning team taking home $3 million. One point will be awarded for a win by decision and two points for a knockout win. Each team has a captain — Deontay Wilder for Matchroom and Hamzah Sheeraz for Queensberry — whose points will be doubled in the case of a win.
Here’s the full fight card:
- Main event: Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) vs. Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs)
- Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) vs. Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs); Interim IBF heavyweight title
- Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 23 KOs) vs. Malik Zinad (23-0, 12 KOs); WBA light heavyweight title
- Austin Williams (16-0, 11 KOs) vs. Hamzah Sheeraz (19-0, 15 KOs)
- Raymond Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs) vs. Nick Ball (19-0-1, 11 KOs); WBA featherweight title
- Craig Richards (18-3-1, 11 KOs) vs. Willy Hutchinson (17-1, 13 KOs)
Where is the Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang fight?
The Queensberry vs. Matchroom ‘5v5’ headlined by Wilder vs. Zhang will take place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The 26,000 seat soccer stadium played host to the undisputed heavyweight championship fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk on May 18. It was also the location of Anthony Joshua’s fight against Francis Ngannou in March.
What is Deontay Wilder’s fight record?
Deontay Wilder is 43-3-1 with 42 knockouts.
Wilder is the best puncher the sport has seen since Mike Tyson and he has a strong argument for greatest puncher in the history of boxing. His lone win on the cards came against Bermane Stiverne as Wilder won the WBC heavyweight title.
He defended his title seven times, winning all seven fights by knockout before coming up against Tyson Fury. In 2018 the two faced off for the first time, fighting to a split decision draw. The action and result of the first fight led to a rematch, which Fury won by technical knockout in round 7.
The rubber match ended when Wilder suffered his second defeat at the hands of Fury, this time getting knocked out in round 11. Wilder came back to win once by knockout in 2022 before suffering his third career defeat to Joseph Parker in December of last year.
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How much does Deontay Wilder weigh?
Wilder weighed 214.6 pounds at Friday’s weigh in, virtually the same he’s weighed in each of his past two fights.
Wilder stands at 6-foot-7 with an 83-inch reach.
What is Zhilei Zhang’s fight record?
Zhang’s record is 26-2-1 with 21 knockouts.
The 2008 Olympic silver medalist from China, began his career later than most, turning professional at 31. He steadily worked his way up the heavyweight division until securing a fight with Filip Hrgovic, who features on the undercard, in 2022.
Hrgovic gave Zhang his first career loss, but not without some controversy as many boxing fans believed Zhang deserved to win the closely-contested bout. Zhang didn’t let the loss define him, instead coming back and getting a career-best win over then undefeated British heavyweight Joe Joyce in his next fight.
Zhang returned with more of the same in September 2023’s rematch, stopping Joyce again, this time in the third round. With the wins, Zhang vaulted his name to the top of the division with the likes of Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua, but it wouldn’t last long.
In his last fight in March, he suffered a majority decision loss to former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker, who was fresh off his December win over Wilder.
How much does Zhilei Zhang weigh?
Zhang weighed 282.8 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in, roughly nine pounds lighter than in his last fight against Joseph Parker.
Zhang stands at 6-foot-6 with an 80-inch reach.
Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang fight odds
Deontay Wilder is a +150 underdog, while Zhang is -150 to win. The over under on rounds is set at 6.5. The oddsmakers clearly favor a knockout between these two heavy handed contenders, with Zhang given the slight edge to do so.
- Wilder by KO/TKO: +150
- Wilder by decision: +1200
- Zhang by KO/TKO: +100
- Zhang by decision: +700
Harrison Campbell covers boxing for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @hccamp.