Deontay Wilder is pledging to destroy Zhilei Zhang in their heavyweight clash next month on June 1st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fans don’t buy what Deontay says because he looks like he can no longer pull the trigger on his punches, haunted by his two knockout losses to Tyson Fury, and worried about getting stopped again.
The fights against Fury, a slapper, showed that Wilder’s punch resistance is too poor to handle the hard shots that the 6’6″ southpaw ‘Big Bang’ Zhilei Zhang (26-2, 21 KOs) will be hitting him with in their fight on June 1st at the Kingdom Arena.
Wilder’s Apology and Transformation
Former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) says he’s made a “transformation” in his life, and he’s apologizing to Zhang ahead of time for what he’ll do to him during their 12-round fight.
Wilder wants to make a statement to show people he’s back with the killer instinct he once had after his recent losses to Joseph Parker and Tyson Fury.
The 38-year-old Wilder can’t afford another loss if he wants to get that lucrative fight against Anthony Joshua that he’s been chasing for the last five years.
Wilder is the underdog going into this fight with Zhang, and many boxing fans believe he’s going to be knocked out within six rounds. Zhang is an excellent counter-puncher, and he’s dangerous early in his fights. If he connects with anything big against Wilder in the early going, it’ll probably be over with.
Deontay’s Statement Fight
“No more, Mr. Nice Guy. The Bronze Bomber is back,” said Deontay Wilder to the Queensberry YouTube channel. “I think it’s exciting for me to fight so many guys that outweigh me and I’m still able to do what I do.”
If Wilder is to have any chance of winning against Zhang, he’s going to need to fire his right hand with conviction from the first round. He can’t afford to move around the ring, waiting for an opening because Zhang will make quick work of Deontay if he’s too afraid to pull the trigger on his punches like we saw in his last fight against Joseph Parker last December.
“With him having the pedigree that he has [two-time Olympian], the height, big bang, the big punch, and a southpaw, all of that is amazing to me,” Wilder continued. “He’s a great fighter for me to make a statement to show people I’m back.
“When I destroy him, it’s back to the top I go. Zhang, I’m sorry it has to be you. I’ve had a transformation in my life. They’re calling the Bronze Bomber back. I mean no peace for anyone. This is nothing personal. It’s only business. I must destroy you in great fashion. I’m trying to bring nothing but pain,” said Wilder.
Most likely, it’s going to end badly for Wilder, with him getting banged out by Zhang within four rounds. I don’t think it’s going to take more than four rounds for Zhang to knock Wilder out an end his career.
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