Promoter Eddie Hearn doesn’t imagine Deontay Wilder is identical fighter who held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020.
Wilder was stopped for the third time in his profession on Saturday night time at Kingdom Enviornment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Zhilei Zhang, who outweighed Wilder by 70 kilos, knocked him out within the fifth spherical. The win marked a clear sweep for Queensberry Promotions over Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing within the 5 vs 5 occasion.
After the combat, Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) appeared pissed off and objected to the stoppage regardless of being floored closely and on unsteady legs. Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) celebrated one in every of his greatest wins on the age of 41. Hearn, in the meantime, gave his sincere ideas on the person he entrusted to be the staff captain for Matchroom Boxing.
“Simply not the identical in all honesty,” Hearn advised Struggle Hub TV in regards to the 38-year-old Wilder’s efficiency. “I simply really feel his perception just isn’t there anymore, and also you’ve acquired to ask your self why? Is it simply the time, is one thing else not proper?
“He isn’t letting his fingers go, and that’s what made him one of the crucial feared fighters on the planet,” Hearn mentioned.
Wilder has now misplaced 4 of his final 5 fights. His lone win got here in opposition to Robert Helenius in October 2022. He misplaced his world title to Tyson Fury in 2020 after being stopped in seven rounds, and 20 months later, Fury repeated the victory in 11. Wilder rebounded in opposition to Helenius however ended his 14-month hiatus final 12 months with a unanimous resolution loss to former titleholder Joseph Parker. His newest setback marks a troubling development, suggesting Wilder may be close to retirement.
“He isn’t the fighter he was, in the meanwhile,” Hearn mentioned. “Individuals come again, however it’s deep within the highway.”
