On June 1st in Saudi Arabia, Deontay Wilder announced his readiness to reassert himself as a top contender against Zhilei Zhang. Both fighters, having faced recent defeats, are eager for victory to boost their world title ambitions.
Wilder previously faced a setback against Joseph Parker in December at the "Day of Reckoning" event. Similarly, Zhang encountered defeat from Parker in March during the undercard of the Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou bout.
This upcoming match is part of the "Matchroom vs Queensbury 5 v 5 card," where Wilder leads Eddie Hearn’s team as captain. Each win on this card offers double points, increasing the stakes for all participants. The card includes other noteworthy bouts featuring fighters such as Daniel Dubois against Fillip Hrgovic and Nick Ball versus Ray Ford.
In a pre-fight interview Wilder expressed confidence and an intent to dominate:
“With him having the pedigree that he has, the height, the big bang, the good punching, the good technique, the southpaw, all that is amazing to me; it makes it an exciting fight. He’s a great person to make a statement by with the calibre he has to show people that I am truly back ’cause when I destroy him like I know I do it’s back to the top I go.”
