Deontay Wilder Says Its Do-or-die Versus Zhilei Zhang
In the not too distant past, one-time heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KO’s) was one of the most feared men in the division. His calamitous straight right hand was a thing of legend and his open bloodlust made him a very controversial figure. Yet, when he faces the dangerous Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KO’s), many are under the belief he might go out with a whimper.
This tremendous shift in expectation began with Wilder’s pair of losses to former two-time heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Despite drawing once versus Fury and losing twice, Wilder was always able to inflict his damage and put Fury on the canvas a number of times across their three fights. In his last duel however, against Joseph Parker, Wilder did little more than circle the ring and gaze at Parker like a nerd does on a popular OnlyFans page. The intent to hit was visibly present, but he never mustered up the gumption to act on the desire.
Not only was this new pacifist Wilder a brand new version of himself, the bout was unpalatable from an action standpoint. With that last impression so fresh in so many fans’ heads, there are quite a few folks thinking The Bronze Bomber is officially yesterday’s news.
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OR ALL SYSTEMS GO?
In all honesty, as it turns out, Wilder could very well be heading into his final professional contest on June 1. This is essentially what he explained in a recent Q&A on Seconds Out:
“I’ve had a successful career and this is a do-or-die moment for me . . . this could be the end of the career; this could be the final goodbyes, the farewell of Deontay Wilder, if I lose. If I win, I prevail, of course I go on to bigger and better things.”
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!
To his credit, when Wilder fought Parker, he had only fought one round, versus Robert Helenius, in the two previous years. Conversely, Wilder was Parker’s fourth professional fight that year. Bearing this in mind, ring rust could have very much been in play that night and contributed a great deal to his lackluster showing.
So, now that Wilder feels that his inner-killer is back and he’s knocked some of that rust off, he could very well be back to his old form. And for his sake, he really needs to be! The hard-hitting, rough-knuckled Zhang is not the opponent to be shaky or distracted with. With an 80% knockout rate of his own, Big Bang is more than qualified to send Wilder into retirement on his back. This is all the more reason why this heavyweight bout should be high in drama and excitement. So, make sure to tune in!
