Once again, Saudi Arabia will be the home of a significant heavyweight battle.
A couple of weeks ago, it was the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight.
Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang will enter the ring in Riyadh on Saturday.
The Wilder-Zhang fight is part of the Queensberry vs Matchroom card—a pay-per-view event on DAZN.
Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are driven by a desperate hunger for victory following their disappointing losses to Joseph Parker.
In Wilder’s case, every win is needed to get back in the conversation with names like Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, and Tyson Fury.
Zhang’s exciting style has given him opportunities, but not with one of the division’s major players.
Keys for Deontay Wilder:
For Wilder, it’s his corner accepting that he must be Deontay Wilder. Do not try to turn him into a tactician. The fight against Parker was borderline sad as it looked like Wilder was trying to reinvent himself. It’s too late for that.
Yes, Wilder needs to be more efficient and effective with his jab and stay committed to going to the body, but his chances to win will come down to his chin and the lethal right hand.
That means Wilder will need to come forward as the fight progresses, but it needs to be behind his jab. Pressuring Zhang could pay off dividends because when Zhang gets tired, he will stop punching.
Keys for Zhilei Zhang:
Zhang seemed to get too happy when he knocked Parker down in the third round of their fight. It was the first of two knockdowns in the loss.
The problem is Zhang did little else outside of those two moments.
He lumbered around in a sea of inactivity.
Zhang will need to keep Wilder occupied, starting with the jab. Even if it is a measuring jab, Wilder will stop punching and become one-dimensional if he stays somewhat active. Though this has yet to be Zhang’s strength, he must unleash it.
That will allow Zhang to fight at a comfortable distance, which will be close in proximity.
Zhang can’t win the fight standing on the outside. If Wilder is true to his word, he wants to fight the way he used to, which means a high number of power punches and exchanges. That will give Zhang a chance to land his power punches, which could floor Wilder.
Prediction:
It’s hard to see this fight going 12 rounds. Both fighters make enough defensive mistakes to give the other one a chance to land their money punch, so this fight could come down to the fighter with the better chin.
Wilder is still suffering from his trilogy with Fury. He has been a different fighter since then, but Zhang could be the right opponent at the right time.
Zhang matches up with Wilder the way Luis Ortiz did. If there’s a fighter that will give Wilder a chance to be his old self, it’s Zhang.
Wilder TKO 9th Round
