Former WBC champion Deontay Wilder could be considering retirement based on the outcome of his upcoming fight against Zhilei Zhang. This match, featuring both boxers who are a combined age of 79 and coming off recent losses, is critically important for their careers. It is scheduled for an unspecified Saturday night.
In a recent interview with Seconds Out, Wilder revealed the stakes of the forthcoming match. "This could be the end of the career...if I lose. If I win, I go on to bigger and better things." The 46-year-old American emphasizes that this bout marks a pivotal point in his career. It will either pave way for more significant opportunities or spell the end of his time in professional boxing.
The matchup between Wilder and Zhang isn’t just crucial for their individual careers but also plays a significant role in a larger event. The fight is part of a five versus five boxing competition organized by Matchroom and Queensberry. Eddie Hearn has shown strong support for Wilder, who leads as captain for Matchroom's team.
Deontay Wilder’s role as team captain means his performance will have greater implications due to the event scoring system where victories gain one point and knockouts get two points. Importantly, points scored by the team captains are doubled. This adds extra weight to Wilder’s contribution to Matchroom’s overall score against Queensberry whose captain is Hamzah Sheeraz. Other important bouts include Nick Ball vs Raymond Ford for the WBA featherweight world title and Daniel Dubois vs Filip Hrgovic as an IBF heavyweight world title eliminator.
Zhilei Zhang's previous loss came against Joseph Parker, which had made Parker the mandatory challenger for the WBO title after he defeated Francis Ngannou. Similarly, Wilder’s last fight was against Joseph Parker, whom he lost to in December.
