Zhang loss my signal the end for Wilder.

The main event on Saturday nights, 5 v 5 show at the Kingdom arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia may have signified a definitive conclusion to the colourful career of former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder after a 5th round knockout defeat at the hands of Zhilei Zhang. Wilder and Xhang entered the bout coming off decision defeats at the hands of Jo Parker and viewed the fight as an opportunity for redemption on a huge PPV stage. Wilder had made it clear that his loss to Parker was largely down to his more civilised attitude having abandoned the evil, destructive alter ego. Wilder did state to the press that there was a realistic chance he could lose to Zhilei and if he didn’t produce the goods on fight night, this could be the final time that we would see Wilder in the ring. The imposing Zhang entered the fight outweighing the former champion by a whopping 68 pounds, with Wilder opting to box at an athletic 214 pounds. Zhang took the action straight to Wilder from the opener, forcing the Alabama fighter to give ground and weather the storm. Wilder was forced to box at long range and negate anything that Zhang chose to set up in short bursts. It appeared by round 3 that Wilder was trying to find clear opportunities to land clean single shots but struggled to set himself under heavy pressure from the Chinese fighter. Wilder found some success and began to rally in the 4th and was able to disorganise Zhang with sporadic success with single right hand attacks. Midway through a sedate 5th round, Wilder over reached with a right hand and was caught clean by a long right hook that grazed his nose, dazed by the shot Wilder appeared disorientated and spun around, almost facing the opposite direction as his opponent, seizing the chance, Zhang capitalised on the damage by landing a vicious right hand that folded Wilder up in a heap, in serious trouble. Deontay managed to beat the count comfortably but in rising appeared unsteady and was stopped by referee Keiren McCann. Wilder now drops to 43-4-1 (42 Ko’s) and appeared a shadow of the dominant former champion that terrorised the division 10 years ago. Zhang isn’t the finished article but moves on towards the promise of some lucrative opportunities at 27-2-1 (22 Ko’s) Wilders hopes of meeting Anthony Joshua or a once lucrative 4th fight with Fury now seem far away in the rear view mirror as the former destructive champion may opt to choose live as a proud family man having reached the lowest point of his career. 

Undisputed. Heavyweight history being made in Saudi.

In the current era of boxing it’s more the norm to see viewing figures rise for less than flattering crossover events including a you-tuber and a noted rapper, influencer or fading former fighter. The days where fans would druel at the sound of a superfight or the return of an iconic champion to roll back the years in a comeback seem far removed to the rear view mirror. The heavyweight division hasn't had a single standout lightning rod since the days of Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson and has dragged its feet for the anticipation of a unified champion for 25 years. Tonight in Saudi arabia we will see possibly the first historic steps in over 2 decades to bridge that gap and attempt to capture the imagination of heavyweight purists when WBC and lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury meets unified 3 belt champion Oleksandr Usyk for all of the marbles and the opportunity to be heralded as the first universally recognised world heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis back in 1999. Both men have made impressive statements at the top of their game with standout wins over Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua respectively yet both are guilty of less than stellar performances of late against underwhelming opposition in Daniel Dubois and Francis Nganou, however both are incredibly skilled and stand defiant and undefeated. The anecdote that a good big man will always beat a good little man very often doesnt apply, Michael Spinks is a prime example to contest that theory, Fury isn't just a good big man, hes an exceptional super big man who knows how to use the tools he was blessed with. Usyk these days isn't quite so little, but in comparrison is playing catch up on the physical stakes by giving away 30 plus pounds. Usyk however isn't to be underestimated, he is deceptively quick and unorthadox and always seems to find a means to victory. Its an intriguing match with a huge historic significance and has all the mystical ingredients to have boxing fans excited once again in anticipation of such a landmark step. Both participants appear in fantastic optimum condition and are at the pinnacle of their respective careers, i personally can see a case for either man claiming victory, however the true winner on the grand scheme of things is boxing which will win with this weeks premium global exposure all preluding to the crowning of an undisputed world heavyweight champion. Since fighting men put gloves on their hands, 25 men have claimed the unified title in over 100 years..  We are privileged this weekend to witness number 26.