Arguably the pick of the fights in Saturday’s “5 vs. 5” event pits heavyweight big hitters Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang against one another.
Both are coming off defeats to New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, and the loser faces a long way back to contention.
Wilder has an Aug. 3 date penciled in with young contender Jared Anderson in Los Angeles, but first comes Zhang this weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Trainer Dewey Cooper is working with Mike Tyson ahead of his July 20 event with Jake Paul in Texas, and he coached Francis Ngannou for his heavyweight bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
“Two power punchers versus each other,” Cooper said of Wilder and Zhang. “We will see what Zhang can take. If Zhang can take Wilder’s power, he’s winning the fight. But I don’t think Zhang’s going to be able to take the hard punches of Wilder. I know Wilder looked really dismal in his last fight with Joseph Parker, but if Wilder has anything left, he has to show it now. He has to show it now. There’s no tomorrow.”
Alabama’s Wilder is 38 years old and 43-3-1 (42 KOs). The New Jersey-based Chinese star Zhang is 26-2-1 (21 KOs) and aged 41.
“This is definitely a crossroads fight for Deontay Wilder,” said Cooper, who is also a trainer in the Team Combat League. “He must get it done, and in saying that, I do think he will. Zhang has a bit of a problem with his conditioning, and I really don’t see Deontay Wilder being the type of guy that can really motivate Zhang to get in tremendous shape, or better shape than he was for Joseph Parker. So I think Wilder gets it done this time.”
Cooper thinks that ultimately it will come down to Wilder having a better gas tank and punch power. Regardless of that, Cooper feels the judges will not be used, and that Wilder wins inside the distance.
“Yes, that’s the only way he wins, is by stoppage. He has to stop him,” Cooper said. “I think he has the power to take down the big, strong Chinese guy, who’s a great guy, by the way. I met him when we were getting ready for Joshua out there [in Saudi Arabia]. Great guy, cool guy, sweetheart of a guy. He’s a big monster, but Deontay Wilder definitely has the power to stop anybody, and I think he will get it done. He has to, because it’s not going to a decision either way.
“If Wilder doesn’t stop Zhang, Zhang’s stopping him for sure. That fight will not go 12 rounds.”
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