A pair of former heavyweight champions square off looking to get back to their winning ways with a potential shot at another title when Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang go toe-to-toe in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, June 1. After going unbeaten in his first 43 professional fights with 42 wins and a draw, former WBC champ Wilder has dropped three of his last four fights, two of them to Tyson Fury when Wilder surrendered the belt in 2020 and was floored in the rematch in 2021. Wilder opened as a +150 underdog on the early boxing betting line.
Enjoying as much success in the ring, Zhang went unbeaten in his first 25 professional bouts with a draw before being dealt a unanimous decision setback by Filip Hrgovic in August 2020. Eight months later Zhang scored a sixth round TKO of Joe Joyce to win the WBO interim strap and successfully defended his title in a rematch. Zhang opened as the -190 betting favorite despite his only two pro losses coming in his last four fights.
Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang Betting Odds
Deontay Wilder +150
Zhilei Zhang -190
The 12-round heavyweight clash between Deontay Wilder ( 43-3-1, 42 KOs ) and Zhilei Zhang ( 26-2-1, 21 KOs ) will take place on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight will air on DAZN pay-per-view.
Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang Fight Preview
The fighters have a few things in common with both winning a high percentage of their bouts by knockout. They’re also coming off a loss to Joseph Parker. Zhang lost his belt in a close decision earlier this year in March with two judges scoring in favor of the challenger and one a draw. With 24 wins and a draw in his first 25 pro fights, Zhang showed impressive power with nearly 80 percent of those wins coming via KO. In a majority draw with Jerry Forrest in February 2021, Zhang floored his opponent three times in the early stages of the bout only to see Forrest battle his way back. A point deduction for excessive holding also cost Zhang.
Zhang’s first pro defeat came with controversy. Facing undefeated Filip Hrgovic in 2022, Zhang sent his opponent to the canvas in the first round with a vicious right hand but was denied a victory by a close unanimous decision. Fight commentators described the scoring as “generous.” Eight months later Zhang earned a bout with undefeated WBO interim heavyweight champion Joe Joyce, claiming the strap with a sixth round TKO. It took Zhang half the time to win the rematch KOing Joyce in the third round in September 2023.
You could argue that Zhang should still be undefeated. The controversial loss to Hrgovic was one thing, but Zhang also had a close encounter last time out against former WBO champion Parker. One judge scored the fight even with the other two giving a slight edge to Parker.
With three losses in his last four fights this is likely the last rodeo for Wilder if he doesn’t show the hunger and desire from years past. Of course that’s hard to do when age creeps up on you and the skill set starts to erode. Wilder held the WBC title for five years after beating Bermane Stiverne by unanimous decision in 2015. He had 10 successful defenses of the title, including a split decision draw with Tyson in 2018. Over a year later the two would meet again with Fury claiming the belt with a seventh round TKO, starting a run of three losses in four fights for Wilder.
Wider was knocked out in the 11th round of the rematch and failed in all three bouts with Fury to use his power. At a big height and weight disadvantage, Wilder couldn’t get inside and was relegated to using non-lethal jabs. In his loss to Parker last December, Wilder was outboxed and severely outscored in the unanimous decision setback sparking some to say retirement was imminent.
Bet Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang
If Wilder truly believes what he says leading up to this fight he might be a good bet to return to his winning ways. “At this point in time, for me to get that hunger and desire back, to give people ‘The Bronze Bomber’ who they so miss now, I’ve got to be selfish.” Wilder is referring to his boxing skill that was non-existent in a loss to Parker. He is saying the right things to hype the fight, but I don’t believe the aggression is there and Father Time is knocking at Wilder’s door.
Boxing Odds Pick: Zhilei Zhang / KO
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