Deontay Wilder, in the build-up to his fight with Zhilei Zhang, hinted at retirement if he lost.
Wilder not only lost he was also stopped by Zhang in Round 5 of their main event fight atop the ‘5 vs 5’ card. His defeat marked a clean sweep for Queensberry Promotions over Matchroom Boxing, raising massive questions about Wilder’s future.
Wilder was filmed leaving Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but gave no comment nor conducted any interviews. This is clearly a time for contemplation.
Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) appeared greatly distressed by the concussive blow delivered by the 41-year-old Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) in that fifth round. It would be the last punch of the fight.
“This fight I am holding as my last stand, my last chance, and that’s what I am taking it accordingly as,” Wilder said earlier in the week at the press conference.
“I am a warrior. I got a warrior mentality, I got a warrior heart, and I will die for what I believe in.
“I am looking forward to proving I still got what it takes.”
Despite just beating the count – at nine – his unsteady legs and foggy eyes prompted referee Kieran McCann to stop the fight at 1:51. Wilder objected to the stoppage. Bottom line is this: The 38-year-old has now lost four of his last five fights, three of which were knockout losses.
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