- Zhilei Zhang knocked out Deontay Wilder in the fifth round in Saudi Arabia
- It was another disappointing performance from the former heavyweight champion
- A new ringside clip shows the moment Zhang delivered the decisive blow
A new clip shows the brutal moment Zhilei Zhang knocked out Deontay Wilder in their heavyweight fight in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
The two faced off as part of the showdown between Frank Warren’s Queensbury Promotions and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing in Riyadh.
In what was the main event of the evening, the Chinese heavyweight defeated his opponent in the fifth round to secure a clean sweep for Warren.
Although Wilder initially got back to his feet, he was deemed unfit to continue by referee Kieran McCann.
And in a new ringside clip shared on social media, the final moments of the fight were captured in gruesome fashion.
The moment Deontay Wilder was knocked out by Zhilei Zhang can be seen in new footage
Zhang knocked out the former heavyweight champion in the fifth round after a brutal punch
Ringside video showed Wilder complaining to referee Kieran McCann about his opponent
As Wilder looked away, Zhang, who had done nothing wrong, delivered a huge punch to him
When a punch from Zhang knocked the former world heavyweight champion off balance, Wilder looked away and apparently complained to the referee about his opponent.
However, Zhang was judged to have done nothing wrong and in no time he jumped in and caught an off-guard Wilder with a brutal right hook.
This left the 38-year-old on the ground and forced to use the rope to get back up as he just managed to beat the counter.
McCann could then be heard saying, “Walk towards me,” as the official examined Wilder before shouting, “No, no, no!”, after deciding he was unable to continue following the punch.
It could potentially spell a career defeat for Wilder, who has now won just one of his last five fights dating back to 2020.
After losing to Joseph Parker in December, he had previously insisted he would retire if he was also defeated by Zhang and the sight of Wilder cowered on the ground could be boxing fans’ last memory of him in the ring are.
Zhang’s win also saw Warren take home bragging rights over rival promoter Hearn after a unique night at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.
First, Willy Hutchinson defeated Craig Richards on points, scoring 116-112, 117-111, 119-109 on the scorecards, making it 1-0 to Team Warren.
Nick Ball then claimed the WBA World Featherweight title by defeating Ray Ford via split decision, winning 113-115, 115-113, 115-113.
Wilder was seen in the ring on the floor and was forced to use the rope to get back to his feet
McCann quickly questioned the American but ruled him unable to continue
This was followed by an 11th round knockout by Hamzah Sheeraz against Ammo Williams in their middleweight eliminator bout.
Dmitry Bivol stopped Malik Zinad with his first knockout since 2018, extending his record to 23-0.
In the fifth fight, Daniel Dubois gave Filip Hrgovic a nasty beating – with gruesome cuts above both eyes – and claimed the interim IBF heavyweight title with an eighth-round stoppage.
Hearn might have hoped to save face with a win over Wilder, but it wasn’t to be, and his crown jewel on the night hardly looked like he wanted to be there.