Zhilei Zhang says he’ll foil promoter Eddie Hearn’s plans to sign the ‘Bronze Bomber’ Deontay Wilder because “he’ll retire” after he loses this Saturday night in their match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Hearn’s Wilder Signing Contingent on Victory
If Wilder knocks out Zhang, Hearn is expected to sign him to a contract and potentially match him against Anthony Joshua. That would be the ideal fight for Wilder if he emerges victorious against Zhang. Deontay would also like a fourth fight against Tyson Fury, but that’s one that would be tricky to make.
Former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs), who Hearn chose as his Team captain of the Matchroom squad, has already tipped his hand that he’ll be retiring if he loses this fight. So unless Wilder was just blowing smoke, this might be the last fight of his career.
Wilder has the motivation to win, but his punch resistance my fail him again when he gets hit on the chin by Zhang. Tyson Fury, who isn’t much of a puncher, knocked out Wilder twice, and he’s not looked the same since confidence-wise.
The 38-year-old Wilder hasn’t been knocked out in the last three years, but he’s only fought twice, and he doesn’t seem to have the same gung-ho attitude that he once did.
Some feel that the huge fortune Wilder has accumulated from his three fights against Fury has taken away from the gym to where he’s enjoying his wealth and not putting in the hard work that he once did during leaner times.
Wilder’s Retirement Hangs in the Balance
“Everyone thinks it’s a 50-50. I think I’m here for the win,” said Zhilei Zhang to Pro Boxing Fans, talking about his fight against Deontay Wilder on Saturday night. “I really do think he wants to sign a promotional contract with Wilder, but unfortunately, it won’t go as planned. He’ll retire,” said Zhang about promoter Eddie Hearn wanting to sign Wilder to a contract if he’s victorious, but it won’t go well for him because he’s sending the ‘Bronze Bomber’ into retirement with a loss.
“We learned a lot from my last fight. Me and my team corrected our mistakes, and I’m going to come out strong,” said Zhang when asked about fading in his last contest against Joseph Parker due to poor stamina.
“I’ve done my hard work. If I perform like I trained, I got it,” said Zhang.
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