Deontay Wilder’s career ended the only way it could have, with a devastating knockout, but not how the slugger would have wanted.
The man who knocked all 32 of his initial opponents within four rounds ended up 11-4-1 in the last decade of his career after Zhilei Zhang put his lights out in five rounds.
Captaining the Matchroom Boxing Team at Turki Alalshikh’s inaugural 5 vs 5 Tournament, Wilder had the hopes of Eddie Hearn pinned on his chest. However, at 6-0 down due to losses for Filip Hrgovic, Ammo Williams, Ray Ford, and Craig Richards, Hearn needed Wilder to step up and make it 8-4 with a KO. It didn’t happen, as Wilder looked like a shell of his former self again.
Wilder loaded up, looking for that one punch to take out Zhang from the get-go. The Chinese giant, boasting a near 70-pound weight advantage, knew it would only take one opening to say goodnight to the American slugger.
And so it proved in round five. Zhang caught Wilder with a peach of a punch and spun him around in the center of the ring. As Wilder maneuvered towards the corner, “Big Bang” unleashed his namesake, ultimately putting the “Bronze Bomber” out for the count. A pre-fight prediction of what Wilder wanted to do to Zhang, rolling his eyes to the back of his head and making him twitch, unfortunately, happened to the former WBC heavyweight champion.
📢 Who wants Big Bang Zhang next? 🥊💥#QueensberryVsMatchroom pic.twitter.com/ChUK6GZHEZ
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) June 2, 2024
With his legacy tarnished by two losses when he really should have retired after the Tyson Fury trilogy, Wilder has nowhere else to go and must step away from the sport.
In the aftermath, Zhang was confident as Hearn contemplated a 10-0 defeat to his long-time rival after claiming to be the best promoter in the world.
“Chinese power. I am ‘Big Bang’ and I bang everything. Today, Queensberry banged Matchroom,” said Zhang.
Frank Warren added: “Big Bang, 10-0, What a night! Queensberry was never in doubt. Thanks for taking part, Eddie Hearn. Matchroom, see you next time.”
Hearn, hounded by Warren during the flight home in a hilarious video post, stated he wanted another shot at Warren’s stable.
“Congrats, Frank Warren, you gave us a spanking tonight! An incredible night, an incredible concept, and we look forward to running it back very soon!”
Furthermore, Warren earned four points from Hamzah Sheeraz as captain for his stoppage victory, two points from Zhang, two points from Daniel Dubois, and one each from Willy Hutchinson and Nick Ball, who became a world champion at the second time of asking.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
