Two massive fights between ‘Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang’ and ‘Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol’ potentially set to happen in same Saudi Arabia fight card
Reports suggest that Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang might fight in the upcoming main event between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
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Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev and Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang (image credit- Marca, The Mirror, DAZN)
On June 1st, the undisputed light-heavyweight title will be given to the victor of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol. Currently, Beterbiev holds the WBC, IBF, and WBO light heavyweight titles. On the other hand, Bivol holds the WBA title. The fight is set to happen in Saudi Arabia a few weeks after the undisputed heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Furthermore, his excellency, Turki Alalshikh, has expressed his intent to deliver exciting fights back-to-back. Hence, according to reports, the Beterbeiv vs. Bivol main event will be even more huge with the inclusion of Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang.
The fight between Beterbiev and Bivol has been a highly anticipated matchup for fans for quite some time. However, the WBC refused to sanction the fight because of political tension with Russia at the time. As usual, Saudi Arabia has come to the rescue of boxing fans by making this huge fight possible. While the fight is huge and historic, it appears that the fight card will also be exciting. Boxing journalist Michael Benson reported the news, stating:
Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang is reportedly now being finalized for June 1st in Saudi Arabia on the same show as Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol.Michael Benson via X
Hence, the fight is still being finalized and has not yet been added to the Bivol vs. Beterbiev fight card. Furthermore, the fight is an interesting matchup since both Zhang and Wilder lost their last fight against Joseph Parker.
This means that a fight between Wilder and Zhang can determine their current place in the heavyweight rankings. Subsequently, the fight will also determine who Zhang and Deontay Wilder should fight next. Another bout rumored to be part of the fight card is Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois for the vacant IBF title.
Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren react to Wilder vs. Zhang
The fight between Wilder and Zhang may not be confirmed, but it has put the boxing world into a frenzy. Both of them are known for their devastating punches and are called knockout artists, and Wilder is known for this even more. Hence, fans believe that their fight would be interesting to witness.
However, Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn reacted to the news with apprehension and stated that the fight wouldn’t happen. Hearn also mentioned that a lot of heavyweight fights are discussed and that he is wary about the possibility of the fight happening.
Similarly, Frank Warren from Queensberry Promotions stated that he has nothing to say about the Zhang vs. Wilder fight. Warren also remarked that the news about the fight should not have been put out. This implies that the fight matchup has still not been finalized.
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Abhijay Roy
(551 Articles Published)