June 02, (THEWILL) – In what may have been the final fight of his career, former WBC heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder, suffered a brutal fifth-round knockout at the hands of Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang in Saudi Arabia, early on Sunday. The 38-year-old American boxer has now lost four of his last five bouts.
Wilder had spoken about retirement being a possibility if he lost to the powerful Chinese southpaw. Those words proved prophetic as he was sent crashing to the canvas by two massive right hand swings from the 282-pound Zhang midway through the fifth round. The “Bronze Bomber” had landed some eye-catching shots earlier in the round but could not withstand Zhang’s power.
At 6’6″ and 68 pounds heavier than the 214-pound Wilder, Zhang used his significant physical advantages to devastating effect. The 41-year-old walked through Wilder’s artillery before unleashing the fight-ending blows, improving his professional record to 27-2-1. A dejected Wilder did not conduct a post-fight interview.
The former Olympic bronze medalist Zhang celebrated wildly after the biggest win of his career. For Wilder, now 43-4-1, it may represent the conclusion of an illustrious yet lately declining prizefighting journey that saw him reign as WBC champion from 2015 to 2020.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
