Postcast host Teddy Atlas feels that Deontay Wilder is too reliant on his power going into tonight’s fight against Zhilei Zhang in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Atlas thinks that Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) has depended too much on his right hand to win fights and has failed to develop his skills or use his athleticism in the way he should.
He’s become lazy and depended too much on his right hand to bail him out of situations that he wouldn’t be in if he had developed his technical skills.
Wilder vs. Zhang will meet tonight, live on DAZN PPV at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight is considered a do-or-die one for both fighters, as they’re old and coming off defeats.
Wilder’s Technique and Reliance on Power
“Wilder wasn’t able to maintain a consistent pace throughout the Parker fight,” said Teddy Atlas on his YouTube channel, talking about Saturday night’s fight between Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang. “Wilder has had issues that he’s always had, but he’s overcome them with his one great asset, power—that great eraser that can get rid of a lot of mistakes real fast. That right-hand thunderbolt.
“The problem is his technique in other areas that is not that supportive, where he’s out of position, he’s off balance. His technique is anything but what you would want it to be to supplement the great assets he has with athleticism with the power in his right hand and with his heart.”
What Atlas isn’t saying is that Wilder isn’t using his right hand like he used to, and has become fearful of throwing his punches since his second loss to Tyson Fury in 2021. That defeat took something out of Wilder, as well as Fury.
“He’s got a great heart. He showed that in the Fury fights, he got dropped and came back, and then he dropped Fury. I think those fights took a lot out of him [Wilder], and they do,” said Atlas,.
Zhang’s Strategy: Utilizing the Jab
Zhang, 41 years old, I think it’s hard for him to maintain himself at a level that you would want to, and would probably be able to if he was five or six years younger,” said Atlas.
Zhang never had good stamina, even when he was younger. He was able to mask his poor stamina years ago because his opposition was so bad. Now that he’s 41 and fighting top-level heavyweights, his stamina issues are becoming evident.
“Zhang, I think if he uses his jab, Parker showed that you can back up Wilder if you do it carefully and smartly behind the jab. You can keep him off balance and keep him from detonating that bomb, the right hand to keep him from getting set. I think that would be the strategy if I was with Zhang,” said Atlas.
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