Zhilei Zhang could tip the scales at a monstrous 300lbs when he takes on Deontay Wilder this weekend, vowing to physically dominate ‘The Bronze Bomber’ the same way Tyson Fury once did. The Chinese heavyweight takes on Wilder as part of the Matchroom vs Queensberry ‘5 vs 5’ card in Saudi Arabia this weekend with old foes Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren naming their best fighters from their respective stables to do battle. Zhang, having previously worked with Warren for his recent victories over Joe Joyce , will be representing Queensberry with Wilder ending his long-running feud to link up with Hearn – named team captain of the Matchroom side.
While the unique team format is taking centre stage, Zhang has his own world title aspirations on the line with the opportunity to effectively end Wilder’s career awaiting on Saturday night. The former WBC champion was dismantled by Joseph Parker six months ago – a defeat that shelved the possibility of a long-awaited showdown between Wilder and Anthony Joshua . Zhang also lost to the New Zealander last time out but after a terrific 2023, he remains firmly in the world title conversation.
At a towering 6ft 6inch, Zhang is already one of the most imposing figures in boxing’s blue-riband division. But he plans to take a page out of Fury’s book as part of his plan to bully Wilder on the night. ‘The Gypsy King’ packed on muscle to find the concussive knockout power that destroyed Wilder in their second fight in February 2.
