Wilder-Zhang, Dubois-Hrgovic bouts close for June 1

[Ledhed1]

By Mike Coppinger, ESPN

Two heavyweight clashes between four top-10 contenders are nearly done deals.

Hard-hitting Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are in the process of finalizing a deal for a June 1 bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Additionally, Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois are also finalizing a deal to square off that evening.

The two heavyweight bouts are scheduled to take place on the undercard of the highly anticipated showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight championship.

Wilder and Zhang will both enter the ring in desperate pursuit of a victory to remain relevant in boxing's glamour division. Both fighters are reeling from decision losses to Joseph Parker in Riyadh. The former heavyweight titleholder pulled off a major upset in December with a wide points win over the American that spoiled plans for a long-awaited matchup between Anthony Joshua and Wilder.

Joshua went on to brutally knock out Francis Ngannou instead, and on that undercard earlier this month, Parker scored another upset with a decision win over Zhang, who floored Parker twice in the bout but was otherwise outboxed.

Rather than take the usual boxing journey of comeback bouts, Wilder and Zhang will now head into a high-stakes bout that will position the winner for another marquee heavyweight bout. Two weeks earlier, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will vie for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Riyadh.

Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) is one of the division's all-time biggest punchers. But the fighter from Alabama has lost three of his past four bouts. Two of those losses came in the championship trilogy with Fury. Fury scored a seventh-round TKO in the 2020 rematch and then an 11th-round knockout the next year.

Wilder is a former heavyweight champion who dropped Fury four times across three fights. He's 38, and although an inch taller than Zhang, figures to concede close to 80 pounds to the much heavier Zhang. Wilder weighed 213 pounds in the loss to Parker.

Zhang, who will be 41 on fight night, is a southpaw puncher who is light on his feet considering his enormous size. The fighter from China is 6-foot-6 and weighed 291.5 pounds in the loss to Parker.

Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) broke out last year with a pair of stoppage victories over Joe Joyce.

Hrgovic's biggest victory remains the win over Zhang, in which he survived a knockdown in the opening round to prevail via controversial unanimous decision.

Croatia's Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) has competed twice since that August 2022 fight in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The 31-year-old scored a 12th-round TKO of Demsey McKean in August and followed up with a first-round TKO win vs. the overmatched Mark De Mori in December on the same undercard as Parker-Wilder.

England's Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) also competed on that undercard, a 10th-round TKO victory over Jarrell Miller that stands as the 26-year-old's biggest win yet.

The fight was Dubois' first since August, when he suffered a ninth-round KO loss to Usyk in a bid for the unified heavyweight championship in Wroclaw, Poland.

Dubois' other professional loss came in 2020, a 10th-round KO defeat to Joyce.

[Cableaddict]

Excellent card!

Three genuinely 50-50 matchups.  Whooda' thunkit?

[Ledhed1]

Deontay Wilder will face Zhilei Zhang on 1 June after making shock move to Matchroom

By Kal Sajad, BBC Sport

American heavyweight Deontay Wilder has signed with Matchroom Boxing and will face Zhilei Zhang as part of the five-versus-five card against Queensberry Promotions on 1 June in Saudi Arabia.

Wilder's link up with promoter Eddie Hearn came as a surprise as Matchroom and Queensberry unveiled their fighters in the most spectacular fashion at a news conference in London.

The 10 fighters wore white masks before being unveiled one by one.

Heavyweight Daniel Dubois - the first to be revealed - will face Filip Hrgovic in a world-title final eliminator in Riyadh and Liverpool featherweight Nick Ball will challenge WBA world champion Raymond Ford.

A middleweight contest between unbeaten Londoner Hamzah Sheeraz and American Austin 'Ammo' Williams and an all-British cruiserweight bout between Willy Hutchinson and Craig Richards complete the line-up.

Wilder was the last man to be unmasked. He bellowed his trademark 'Bomb Squad' as a grinning Hearn pumped his fist.

"Nobody ever thought me and Eddie would be working together. This is the ultimate surprise," Wilder said.

Hearn added: "For one night only, we work together."

The Hearn and Wilder link-up is equally surprising, and demonstrates how any rift is fixable with Saudi influence.

They have been at each other's throats for the best part of decade as Hearn backed Matchroom's Anthony Joshua in a potential fight which has not yet materialised

Wilder - who has boxed primarily on Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Championship - was one of the most destructive power punchers in the division but has won just one bout since November 2019 and was outpointed by Joseph Parker in December.

"We'll see if I've got it or not. This fight I'm holding it as my last dance, my last chance," an emotional Wilder, 38, said.

"I lost my love and passion for this business. I lost my hunger for so many different reasons

"I'm not playing around this time. I've got nothing to lose."

Matchroom v Queensberry will form the undercard to the undisputed light-heavyweight contest between undefeated Russian Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, a blockbuster for the boxing purists.

"It's the best fight in boxing," Hearn said as the two Russians took to the stage in London.

After a traditional style news conference for Beterbiev-Bivol, the event soon turned into The Masked Singer meets WWE.

Hearn and Warren talked up the undercard as the masked fighters waited patiently. Not everything went to plan, however, as the Matchroom boss prematurely mentioned the still masked Ball's name.

The rivalry between Britain's two biggest promotional companies in the sport dates back to the 1980s, when Hearn's father Barry was at the helm for Matchroom.

"Growing up as a kid I'd hear the name [Warren] on the phone. It wasn't always pleasant but I'd hear them arguing," Heard said.

Hearn and Warren - who had reportedly never met until last year - were brought together by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's general entertainment authority.

Alalshikh - with the riches of Saudi Arabia behind him but under the backdrop of sports washing accusations - convinced the two to bury the hatchet.

"We're not friends really, I want to absolutely destroy Queensberry," Hearn added, tongue-in-cheek.

With bragging rights at stake, one point will be awarded for a decision win and two points for a knockout or technical knockout, with captains' points worth double.

Hearn selected Wilder to lead his team, with Queensberry's Sheeraz skippering for Warren.

The only real needle between the two teams came in an exchange between Londoner Dubois and Croatian Hrgovic as they discussed sparring together.

"I'm a different animal now," Dubois said.

Hrgovic replied: "I hope he's changed otherwise he will last one round only. That sparring wasn't good for him."

The winner could face Anthony Joshua for a vacant IBF title later in the year.

Current IBF champion, Oleksandr Usyk, will face Tyson Fury for all four world titles in May. A two-fight deal is in place, meaning a sanctioning body is likely to force the winner to vacate.

[WelshDevilRob]

Good fights and hard to predict. Really looking forward to the overall card, as all competitive bouts.

What does Wilder have left? Can Zhang train harder for this fight? Is Hrgovic overrated? Will Dubois fold?....so many questions to be answered.

[Cableaddict]

I'm actually quite interested to see how Dubois looks.   I've never been a fan,  but I believe him when he says "I'm a different animal now." 

Plus, I'm living for the day someone KTFO that cheating, rabbit-punching POS Hrgovic.  Let's hope the ref keeps him under control. (for a change.)

[Ledhed1]

Beterbiev knee injury means Bivol fight postponed

BBC

Artur Beterbiev's undisputed light-heavyweight fight against Dmitry Bivol has been postponed after he suffered a knee injury.

WBC, IBF and WBO champion Beterbiev, who had been scheduled to face Bivol in Saudi Arabia on 1 June, ruptured his meniscus in training.

"The plan is to reschedule Beterbiev-Bivol before the end of the year," said a statement by Top Rank Boxing. "Additional details will be provided in due course."

The undercard to the fight was the five-versus-five event between Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions, featuring American heavyweight Deontay Wilder's bout against China's Zhilei Zhang.

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's general entertainment authority said that event would still take place.

[Ledhed1]

Dmitry Bivol to defend title vs. Malik Zinad in Riyadh

By Mike Coppinger, ESPN

Dmitry Bivol will defend his WBA light heavyweight title vs. Libya's Malik Zinad on June 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, following Artur Beterbiev's withdrawal.

Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang -- two fighters coming off losses to Joseph Parker -- is the new main event. Wilder needs an impressive performance to move onto a planned Aug. 3 bout with Jared Anderson in Los Angeles.

Wilder-Zhang is part of the highly anticipated series of five fights that feature boxers promoted by Matchroom vs. boxers aligned with Queensberry.

Filip Hrgovic will meet Daniel Dubois for the vacant IBF heavyweight title while Ray Ford will defend his WBA featherweight title against Nick Ball. The other two fights: Ammo Williams-Hamzah Sheeraz and Willy Hutchinson-Craig Richards.

Zinad (22-0, 16 KOs) steps in to replace Beterbiev, who will undergo surgery to repair a ruptured meniscus. Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) could be ready to resume training by September, and there's hope the undisputed light heavyweight championship fight vs. Bivol will be rescheduled later this year.

Zinad will be challenging for his first world title. The 30-year-old scored a majority-decision victory over Jerome Pampellone last week in Sydney. Zinad relocated to Malta in 2013.