Tag: Deontay Wilder

Deontay Wilder hopes to get Francis Ngannou boxing match conversations going

Deontay Wilder is open to lacing up the gloves against Francis Ngannou next.

[autotag]Deontay Wilder[/autotag] is open to lacing up the gloves against [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] next.

Wilder is currently rehabbing arm and shoulder injuries, which he suffered in back-to-back losses to Joseph Parker and most recently Zhilei Zhang by TKO in June. PFL heavyweight superfights champion Ngannou has previously angled for a fight against Wilder, and “The Bronze Bomber” had nothing but respect when addressing a potential matchup.

“Ever since I’ve been off, there’s been a lot of offers coming in, a lot of different countries, even with Francis,” Wilder told TMZ. “What’s up, brother? I hope everything is going good for you, man. I’m sorry for your loss.

“I can only imagine what it’s like to lose a child, man. I never hope to even feel that feeling of it. I hope life is going beautifully for you, bro. That’s a conversation I’m still looking to get in there in the mix and talk about.”

Ngannou’s two boxing appearances have gone drastically different. After knocking down Tyson Fury and pushing him to the brink in a controversial decision loss in October 2023, “The Predator” was finished by Anthony Joshua in a Round 2 knockout loss in March.

But despite Ngannou’s brutal loss to Joshua, Wilder isn’t dismissing him as an opponent.

“Any fight is competitive,” Wilder said. “You’ve got a man who’s got two hands and two feet, and got a heart, that will to win. You’ve got competition, you’ve got a fight on your hands. So that’s why, when you get in the ring, you respect every man that steps in there because you never know what he may bring to the fight.”

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Oscar De La Hoya criticizes those calling for Deontay Wilder’s retirement: ‘Give the man his respect’

Oscar De La Hoya tells the fans and media to back off Deontay Wilder.

[autotag]Deontay Wilder[/autotag] is in a career rut, and it’s bad enough that many pundits and fans are calling for his retirement—something that has rubbed [autotag]Oscar De La Hoya[/autotag] the wrong way.

Following his latest defeat, many have urged Wilder to hang up the gloves, but De La Hoya believes that’s a decision that belongs to Wilder and that people have no business weighing in on what he should do.

“Deontay Wilder got knocked out, OK? But there’s no need to bash him,” De La Hoya said in an Instagram Live. “There’s no need to say, ‘Oh, he must retire and this and that.’ There’s no need to bash him. Deontay Wilder will make his decision whether he wants to retire or not.

“You have to give the man his respect and respect his decision. My thinking behind it is, never tell a fighter when to retire. It’s a personal decision. It’s a decision only a fighter should make. This is our livelihood, this is our love, this is our passion.”

Wilder is 1-4 in his past five outings and has been stopped in three of those losses. This past Friday, China’s Zhilei Zhang put him away in the fifth round of their bout in Saudi Arabia. For many, it’s not only the defeats, but also how Wilder has looked.

De La Hoya invites Wilder to take some time off, ignore the critics, and then make a decision on his career.

“So Deontay, keep it going, man,” De La Hoya said. “Whatever you do, whatever you decide, take your time, go on a vacation and take your beautiful family. When you come back and make the decision, you’ll make the right one in your heart, for yourself. This is a very personal decision. This is life, so take your time, brother.”

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Zhilei Zhang def. Deontay Wilder at 5 vs. 5: Queensberry vs. Matchroom: Best photos

Check out these photos from Zhilei Zhang vs. Deontay Wilder, the headlining bout of 5 vs. 5: Queensberry vs. Matchroom in Saudi Arabia.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Zhilei Zhang[/autotag]’s knockout victory over [autotag]Deontay Wilder[/autotag] at 5 vs. 5: Queensberry vs. Matchroom, which took place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photos by Richard Pelham, Getty Images)

Video: Zhilei Zhang brutally knocks out Deontay Wilder at 5 vs. 5: Queensberry vs. Matchroom

Zhilei Zhang closed the show at 5 vs. 5: Queensberry vs. Matchroom by brutally knocking out Deontay Wilder in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

[autotag]Zhilei Zhang[/autotag] added to his highlight reel with a devastating finish of [autotag]Deontay Wilder[/autotag] in the main event of 5 vs. 5: Queensberry vs. Matchroom.

The event at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featured showdowns between boxing promotions, with Zhang vs. Wilder at the top of the bill in a heavyweight clash that was sure to produce fireworks. At 1:51 of Round 5, it would be Zhang who lit the fuse and detonated a vicious right hand on the chin of Wilder to close the show.

Wilder was charging forward with a left hand, but Zhang clipped him with a nice counter hook. The punch stunned Wilder, causing him to turn away from his opponent. Wilder perhaps thought he was safe momentarily as he turned around, but Zhang closed in and was right there to land the final blow.

Check out video of the finish below (via X):

The result marked a return to the win column for China’s Zhang, 41, who entered on the heels of a majority decision loss to Joseph Parker on the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou undercard in March.

Since being stopped by Tyson Fury in their second and third meetings, which were the first losses of his pro career, Wilder has struggled to regain momentum. He rebounded from the trilogy loss to Fury by stopping Robert Helenius in 2022, but then dropped a unanimous decision to Parker, and now suffered another brutal knockout.

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Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang: Date, time, how to watch, background

Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang: Date, time, how to watch, background.

Former heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder returns to the ring against Zhilei Zhang in the main event of the Queensberry and Matchroom 5 vs. 5 pay-per-view card Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

DEONTAY WILDER (43-3-1, 42 KOs)
VS. ZHILEI ZHANG (26-2-1, 21 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, June 1
  • Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • TV/Stream: DAZN Pay-Per-View
  • Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Zhang 1½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): *****
  • Also on the card: Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois, heavyweights; Dmitry Bivol vs. Malik Zinad, light heavyweights (for Bivol’s WBA title); Raymond Ford vs. Nick Ball, featherweights (for Ford’s WBA title); Austin Williams vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, middleweights; Craig Richards vs. Willy Hutchinson, light heavyweights
  • Background: Dmitry Bivol was scheduled to fight fellow 175-pound titleholder Artur Beterbiev in the main event of the Queensberry and Matchroom 5 vs. 5 card but the matchup was postponed after Beterbiev was injured in training. The show goes on, with Deontay Wilder facing Zhilei Zhang in the main event and Bivol defending his belt against Malik Zinad in a stay-busy fight. Wilder is at a crossroads. The hard-punching former heavyweight titleholder is 1-3 in his last four fights, with knockout losses against Tyson Fury in 2020 and 2021 and a one-sided decision setback against Joseph Parker on the Anthony Joshua-Otto Wallin card in December. The 38-year-old Alabamian’s only victory in the last four-plus years was a first-round stoppage of Robert Helenius in October 2022. A victory over Zhang could lead to one more title shot. Another loss could end his career as an elite fighter, particularly if he’s not competitive. Zhang, a 41-year-old from China, had built considerable momentum with back-to-back knockouts of Joe Joyce last year. However, he took a step backward with a majority decision loss to Parker even though he put the winner down twice in March. A victory would keep Zhang in the hunt for a title fight. Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs), ranked No. 4 pound-for-pound, shouldn’t have too much trouble with Zinad (22-0, 16 KOs). The Malta-based Libyan has a perfect record but is taking an enormous step up in opposition. He’s ranked No. 2 by the IBF. Also on the card, Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) and Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) will be fighting to maintain their positions as top contenders. Hrgovic, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, is coming off a first-round KO of Mark De Mori on the Joshua-Wallin card. Dubois bounced back from his knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk by stopping Jarrell Miller in the 10th and final round, also on the Joshua-Wallin show. And 126-pound titleholder Raymond Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs) will defend his belt against Nick Ball (19-0-1, 8 KOs). Ford, a 25-year-old from New Jersey, is coming off a sensational stoppage of Otabek Kholmatov with only seven seconds remaining in a fight he was losing on the cards to win the vacant WBA title. Ball (19-0-1, 11 KOs) is coming off a strong performance, a split draw against WBC beltholder Rey Vargas in March. The 27-year-old from the U.K. outpointed Isaac Dogboe before that.

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Deontay Wilder will try to keep career alive against Zhilei Zhang

Deontay Wilder will try to keep his career alive when he faces Zhilei Zhang on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

Deontay Wilder acknowledged that his meeting with Zhilei Zhang on Saturday could be his last.

The 38-year-old former heavyweight champion is 1-3 in his last four fights, including two brutal knockout losses against then-titleholder Tyson Fury and a one-sided decision setback against Joseph Parker in his most recent fight.

Another “L” in the main event of the DAZN Pay-Per-View card in Saudi Arabia will signal that Wilder’s time has passed.

“It’s going to be a different fight this time around,” he told DAZN, “and if it’s not a different fight, then retirement is definitely highly considered.”

Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) is best known for his punching power and a three-fight series with Fury, a disputed draw in 2018 and the knockouts, in 2020 and 2021.

The second fight with Fury was painfully one-sided, as the bigger, more skillful man put Wilder down twice and stopped him in seven rounds. Wilder’s fighting spirit was on display in the third fight, in which he put Fury down twice but he went down three times himself and was stopped in 11.

Wilder followed that with a first-round knockout of Robert Helenius in 2022 — his only victory since 2019 — but he then fell flat against Parker after a 14-month layoff last December, losing badly on the cards.

Many wondered at that time whether he was in decline. He can dispel that notion against the capable Zhang — or confirm it.

Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) also is coming off loss to Parker but he put the Kiwi down twice and lost a close decision. He stopped Joe Joyce in back-to-back fights before that.

“I’ve just to go in there and be me, do what I know I can do. I’ve trained hard for it. During the last fight I trained hard as well, but I could not pull the trigger. I saw certain things, but my body would not react,” said Wilder, using words sometimes associated with a shot fighter.

“That was because of the long layoff and certain things that we did in camp we could have changed up, certain things that I could have listened to. … That kind of messed certain things up.

“But all that’s in the lesson of things, and now we have a second opportunity to correct a lot of things.”

If he doesn’t, he’ll have to do some hard thinking.

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Fight Week: Deontay Wilder to face Zhilei Zhang in 5 vs. 5 main event in Saudi Arabia

Fight Week: Former heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder is scheduled to face Zhilei Zhang in the 5 vs. 5 main event Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

FIGHT WEEK

Deontay Wilder is scheduled to face Zhilei Zhang in the main event of the Queensberry and Matchroom 5 vs. 5 pay-per-view card Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

DEONTAY WILDER (43-3-1, 42 KOs)
VS. ZHILEI ZHANG (26-2-1, 21 KOs)

  • Date: Saturday, June 1
  • Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • TV/Stream: DAZN Pay-Per-View
  • Division: Heavyweight (no limit)
  • At stake: No major titles
  • Boxing Junkie Pound-for-pound: None
  • Odds: Zhang 1½-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
  • Significance (up to five stars): *****
  • Also on the card: Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois, heavyweights; Dmitry Bivol vs. Malik Zinad, light heavyweights (for Bivol’s WBA title); Raymond Ford vs. Nick Ball, featherweights (for Ford’s WBA title); Austin Williams vs. Hamzah Sheeraz, middleweights; Craig Richards vs. Willy Hutchinson, light heavyweights
  • Background: Dmitry Bivol was scheduled to fight fellow 175-pound titleholder Artur Beterbiev in the main event of the Queensberry and Matchroom 5 vs. 5 card but the matchup was postponed after Beterbiev was injured in training. The show goes on, with Deontay Wilder facing Zhilei Zhang in the main event and Bivol defending his belt against Malik Zinad in a stay-busy fight. Wilder is at a crossroads. The hard-punching former heavyweight titleholder is 1-3 in his last four fights, with knockout losses against Tyson Fury in 2020 and 2021 and a one-sided decision setback against Joseph Parker on the Anthony Joshua-Otto Wallin card in December. The 38-year-old Alabamian’s only victory in the last four-plus years was a first-round stoppage of Robert Helenius in October 2022. A victory over Zhang could lead to one more title shot. Another loss could end his career as an elite fighter, particularly if he’s not competitive. Zhang, a 41-year-old from China, had built considerable momentum with back-to-back knockouts of Joe Joyce last year. However, he took a step backward with a majority decision loss to Parker even though he put the winner down twice in March. A victory would keep Zhang in the hunt for a title fight. Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs), ranked No. 4 pound-for-pound, shouldn’t have too much trouble with Zinad (22-0, 16 KOs). The Malta-based Libyan has a perfect record but is taking an enormous step up in opposition. He’s ranked No. 2 by the IBF. Also on the card, Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) and Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) will be fighting to maintain their positions as top contenders. Hrgovic, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, is coming off a first-round KO of Mark De Mori on the Joshua-Wallin card. Dubois bounced back from his knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk by stopping Jarrell Miller in the 10th and final round, also on the Joshua-Wallin show. And 126-pound titleholder Raymond Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs) will defend his belt against Nick Ball (19-0-1, 8 KOs). Ford, a 25-year-old from New Jersey, is coming off a sensational stoppage of Otabek Kholmatov with only seven seconds remaining in a fight he was losing on the cards to win the vacant WBA title. Ball (19-0-1, 11 KOs) is coming off a strong performance, a split draw against WBC beltholder Rey Vargas in March. The 27-year-old from the U.K. outpointed Isaac Dogboe before that.

 

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

FRIDAY

  • Brandon Adams vs. Francisco Veron, junior middleweights, Houston (DAZN)

SATURDAY

  • Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal, light heavyweights, Inglewood, California (pay-per-view)

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Deontay Wilder fears Mike Tyson could get ‘hit into a coma’ against Jake Paul

“I don’t want the last thing I remember of him is him getting knocked out by a YouTube,” Deontay Wilder said of Mike Tyson.

[autotag]Deontay Wilder[/autotag] worries for [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag]’s health against [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag].

Tyson (50-6) takes on Paul (9-1) in an eight-round professional boxing match on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The event streams live on Netflix.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder can’t believe the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations officially sanctioned Tyson vs. Paul as a professional fight.

“I think it’s bad the commission has licensed Mike Tyson because he hasn’t been active in 20 years, so they should not just license him because of who he is. That’s how people get hurt,” Wilder told Sportsbook Review.

“God forbid he gets hurt. People can get hit in the wrong place and at the wrong time. There’s lots of examples where guys have been hit into a coma. It’s easy to do. He’s too old for this.”

Wilder questions the commission for allowing Tyson to fight someone who will be 31 years younger than him on fight night.

“At the end of the day, no one gives a f*ck about Mike,” Wilder said. “We can talk about the pros and cons, but at the end of the day, they don’t give a f*ck. I don’t think anyone cares about Mike because if they did, they wouldn’t sanction the fight.

“They may say they’ve done tests and all that, OK, but as long as you’re willing to suffer the consequences if something bad goes wrong. His power may not have left completely, but you still need to set it up. Your stamina needs to be a certain way, or it’s going to look like a clown show. I don’t want to see it to be honest.”

Paul’s lone-career loss came to Tommy Fury, who was his toughest test on paper. Wilder thinks it would be a bad look for boxing legend Tyson to lose to Paul.

“I don’t want the last thing I remember of him is him getting knocked out by a YouTuber,” Wilder said. “The last thing you do, that’s what people remember you by.”

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For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Tyson.

Report: Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang in works for Bivol-Beterbiev card on June 1

ESPN is reporting that Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are near a deal to fight one another on the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev card.

The new capital of heavyweight boxing is about to deliver two more fights featuring prominent big men.

ESPN is reporting that former heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are nearing a deal to fight one another on the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev card June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Also, heavyweight contenders Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois are close to an agreement to meet on the same show.

Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) will be trying to reestablish himself as a top heavyweight after losing three of his last four fights, two knockouts against Tyson Fury in 2020 and 2021 and a one-sided decision against Joseph Parker in December.

The 38-year-old American’s only victory since 2019 was a first-round knockout of Robert Helenius in 2022.

Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) built considerable momentum by stopping Joe Joyce twice last year but the 40-year-old from China crashed back to earth against Parker in March, losing a majority decision even though he decked Parker twice.

Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) is a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist from Croatia. His biggest victory was a unanimous decision over Zhang in 2022.

Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) nearly pulled off a huge upset when he floored titleholder Oleksandr Usyk with a body shot in August. However, the punch was ruled a low blow, Usyk was given time to recover and the champ stopped Dubois in the ninth round.

Dubois bounced back by stopping Jarrell Miller in the 10th round in December.

Bivol vs. Beterbiev, for the undisputed 175-pound championship, is one of the most anticipated fights in the sport.

Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) is best known for defeating Canelo Alvarez in 2022 but he has a long track record of dominating top contenders. Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) also has overwhelmed opponents, none of whom have reached the final bell.

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Report: Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang in works for Bivol-Beterbiev card on June 1

ESPN is reporting that Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are near a deal to fight one another on the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev card.

The new capital of heavyweight boxing is about to deliver two more fights featuring prominent big men.

ESPN is reporting that former heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are nearing a deal to fight one another on the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev card June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Also, heavyweight contenders Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois are close to an agreement to meet on the same show.

Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) will be trying to reestablish himself as a top heavyweight after losing three of his last four fights, two knockouts against Tyson Fury in 2020 and 2021 and a one-sided decision against Joseph Parker in December.

The 38-year-old American’s only victory since 2019 was a first-round knockout of Robert Helenius in 2022.

Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) built considerable momentum by stopping Joe Joyce twice last year but the 40-year-old from China crashed back to earth against Parker in March, losing a majority decision even though he decked Parker twice.

Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) is a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist from Croatia. His biggest victory was a unanimous decision over Zhang in 2022.

Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) nearly pulled off a huge upset when he floored titleholder Oleksandr Usyk with a body shot in August. However, the punch was ruled a low blow, Usyk was given time to recover and the champ stopped Dubois in the ninth round.

Dubois bounced back by stopping Jarrell Miller in the 10th round in December.

Bivol vs. Beterbiev, for the undisputed 175-pound championship, is one of the most anticipated fights in the sport.

Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) is best known for defeating Canelo Alvarez in 2022 but he has a long track record of dominating top contenders. Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) also has overwhelmed opponents, none of whom have reached the final bell.

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