Saturday night may have been the end for former boxing champion Deontay Wilder. Heading into his fight with Zhilei Zhang, Wilder said that, “this could be the final goodbye, the farewell of Deontay Wilder,” were he to lose the fight. Not only did he lose, but it was in brutal fashion.
In the fifth round, Zhilei Zhang floored Deontay Wilder with a perfectly timed counter right hook. It sent Wilder spinning, as he was defenseless heading back into the corner. Like a predator hunting its prey, Zhang sprinted in and landed another devastating right that sent Wilder to the canvas.
Impressively, Wilder was able to get up ahead of the referee’s 10 count. But with his legs wobbly and not having his bearings, the fight was waved off with 1:51 remaining in the fifth round. ZHILEI ZHANG KNOCKS OUT WILDER IN THE 5th ROUND AND IT'S ALL OVER #QueensberryVsMatchroom | Live NOW | Live on DAZN: Click link in bio to buy.
#5vs5 | #RiyadhSeason | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/1Aje1O27SH “I blocked a few punches, but hell yeah, he punches hard,” Zhang, speaking through an interpreter, said of his opponent .
“I give him a lot of respect. He’s a heavy puncher. .
.. I successfully took his right hand away.
” The devastating right hand that has provided so many highlights for Deontay Wilder in his career was not there on Saturday. He would ready his big punch but didn’t pull the trigger enough. Wilder is now 43-4-1 in his career with 42 knockouts.
He has lost four out of his last f.
