Two of boxing’s biggest punchers face off on Saturday in Saudi Arabia when Deontay Wilder takes on Zhilei Zhang in a heavyweight showdown. Wilder and Zhang have a combined 63 knockouts in 69 career wins, meaning there is strong potential for an explosive finale when they meet in the ring.
Both Zhang and Wilder find themselves at a critical juncture in their careers, each having lost to Joseph Parker in their last outing and knowing they need a win to stay on the title fringe. Zhang is yet to hold a world championship while Wilder was WBC champion for five years before suffering a knockout against Tyson Fury.
There are other big fights on the schedule, including Filip Hrgovic taking on Daniel Dubois for the vacant IBF interim heavyweight championship. The winner could soon be elevated to world champion if the IBF chooses to remove Oleksandr Usyk for facing Fury rather than fulfilling its obligation to face Hrgovic, the sanctioning body’s mandatory challenger.
WBA light heavyweight and elite pound-for-pound champion Dmitri Bivol will put his title on the line against Malik Zinad. Bivol was set to headline the card in an undisputed championship clash against WBO, WBC and IBF champion Artur Beterbiev before Beterbiev suffered an injury.
CBS Sports will be with you all the way on Saturday, starting with the start of the pay-per-view broadcast at 2 p.m. ET, so be sure to follow the live results and highlights below.
Fight card, results
- Zhilei Zhang vs. Deontay Wilder, heavyweight
- Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois, IBF interim heavyweight title
- Dmitrii Bivol (c) def. Malik Zinad via TKO, Round 6
- Hamzah Sheeraz def. Austin Williams via TKO, round 11
- Nick Ball def. Raymond Ford by split decision (115-113, 113-115, 115-113)
- Willy Hutchinson def. Craig Richards by unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 119-109)
Wilder vs. Zhang scorecard, live coverage
News Source : www.cbssports.com
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