Deontay Wilder’s career as a top heavyweight, and possibly as a professional boxer, is almost finished after being knocked out in the fifth round by Zhilei Zhang in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday evening. A short lead right shot swung Wilder around, leaving the American vulnerable to a follow-up right hand that landed flush and dropped the “Bronze Bomber” to his back. Wilder rose at eight but was visibly defeated, and referee Kieran McCann stopped the fight.
Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) was never the best ring technician, but he sped to a 40-0 record with 39 KOs and the WBC heavyweight title thanks to his almost superhuman one-punch power and propensity to throw caution to the wind in search of knockouts. However, a three-fight series with Tyson Fury saw him go 0-2-1 and hit the canvas five times. Despite a first-round KO of Robert Helenius in October 2022, he appeared listless in defeat against Joseph Parker in December. From the start, he was even more nervous against Zhang, backing away from him and pawing with his jab, never showing enthusiasm for using his hallmark right hand.
Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) was less aggressive but more assertive, walking Wilder down and pinning him in the corner and against the rope’s multiple times.
Ironically, Wilder opened out in the fifth and caught Zhang with straight right hands. When he threw a right hand of his own, he stepped into Zhang’s punch, which started the end.
Zhang’s triumph was a welcome comeback after losing to Parker in March.
“When I lost to Parker, he was the better man that night,” Zhang remarked. “But I learned a lot. After defeating Joe Joyce, I became overconfident but learned to keep focused.” He stated he defeated his opponent by removing his right hand. He punches hard. I admire him.”
The fight was the main event of the “5 vs 5” bill between Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions. Warren won convincingly, with his fighters raising their hands after each round.
Karim Ayedemi will be disappointed that he did not convert his opportunities during the game, particularly in the first half. Dortmund got the game’s first significant chance when Karim Adeyemi rounded Thibaut Courtois, who was making his first Champions League start of the season, but he couldn’t push his shot in from close range. The Germans had another chance immediately after, but Niclas Fullkrug’s shot hit the post.
Madrid did little in the first half for their part and went the entire 45 minutes without a shot on goal. In the end, they only needed one chance, as Carvajal glided to the near post and met Toni Kroos’ corner, heading past Gregor Kobel to give Los Blancos a 1-0 lead with 20 minutes to go.
After a while, the game opened, and Madrid seemed to be on the verge of scoring again. Vinicius provided it by receiving Jude Bellingham’s ball and shooting into the corner to secure Madrid’s 15th Champions League triumph.
