A pair of heavyweight contenders clash as Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) returns to the ring opposite Zhilei Zhang (26-2, 21 KOs) on Saturday, June 1. This fight will serve as main event of the 5v5: Queensberry vs. Matchroom event. Live coverage starts at 2 p.m. ET on DAZN PPV with Wilder and Zhang expected to make ring walks close to 6 p.m.
Wilder looks to get back on track following a unanimous decision loss to Joseph Parker last December. The former WBC titleholder did not perform up to expectations in his last bout. The “Bronze Bomber” will need a vintage KO to win back over the boxing community.
“Big Bang” Zhang enjoyed a brief stint as WBO interim champion after back-to-back knockout wins against Joe Joyce. He nearly retained the title again, after dropping Joseph Parker in the third round of his last fight. However, the 41-year-old allowed Parker to dominate later rounds and ultimately lost in a close majority decision result.
Fight Odds
Zhang is a slim -150 favorite, with Wilder entering with +120 odds to win. The favored method of victory is Zhang to win by KO (+100).
Wilder-Zhang heavyweight bout prediction
Parker dominated Wilder in their previous bout and perhaps we saw some of the ring rust on the former world champion. This is Wilder’s last true shot at remaining relevant in the heavyweight title conversation and I’m expecting him to show some sort of desperation.
“Big Bang” at 40, seems to run out of energy late into fights. However, when he lands punches early they often sting. Wilder can take a punch but expect Zhang to come out and test his chin. Zhang is no easy out but is susceptible to taking plenty of punches.
The time is now for Wilder and with him possibly hinting at retirement after this bout, I would hope he leaves it all on the canvas. After some early fireworks from both fighters, I expect Wilder to ease into this fight and begin to hurt Zhang late. Given Zhang’s conditioning issues, I like Wilder to win by TKO in round 9.