Deontay Wilder set for comeback KO win over Zhilei Zhang

Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang are the latest heavyweight boxers to make the trip to Saudi Arabia to face off at the Kingdon Arena. The two are desperate to get a crack at Oleksander Usyk and will go toe-to-toe to impress the Saudi backers and get their shot at the big time. In our latest boxing betting picks, we tell you who will win.

What: Heavyweight Bout/li>
Who: Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang
Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
When: Saturday, June 1st, 2024
Ring Walks: 5 p.m ET Onwards

Hearn and Warren Bromance

Saudi money is now awash in boxing. Heck, it’s even got Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren claiming to be friends. That’s how much influence this cash is having.

And as a result of this new bromance between two of boxing promotion’s most sworn enemies, they have been persuaded to put on a five vs. five-card for their Saudi backers at the beginning of June.

First official poster for Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang in the Queensberry-Matchroom 5 vs 5 on June 1st in Saudi Arabia… pic.twitter.com/2b4qcRLDhC

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 15, 2024

Eddie Hearn represents Matchroom, and Frank Warren is the boss of Queensberry. Here is the five vs. five card along with the latest betting.

Deontay Wilder +130 (Matchroom) vs. Zhilei Zhang -163 (Queensberry)
Filip Hrgovic -225 (Matchroom) vs. Daniel Dubois (Queensberry) +175
Raymond Ford -175 (Matchroom) vs. Nick Ball (Queensberry) +137
Craig Richards -138 (Matchroom) vs. Willy Hutchinson (Queensberry) +110
Austin Williams +175 (Matchroom) vs. Hamzah Sheeraz (Queensberry) -225

The fight we are focussing on here is between the once much-feared Deontay Wilder and the once much-maligned Zhilei Zhang.

With his knockout record, Wilder was once the most feared boxer in the heavyweight division. His reputation was tarnished after being outclassed by Tyson Fury across a trilogy of fights. And he was then also well beaten by Joseph Parker in December 2023.

Zhang was once regarded as a lumbering slugger who could knock anybody out if he caught them. But he also was regarded as way too big and slow to be a serious threat in the heavyweight division.

Back-to-back wins over Joe Joyce put Zhang on the map. But he has since also been defeated by the impressive Joseph Parker. The Kiwi defeated the giant Chinese at this same venue in March 2024.

Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang Betting

The reality is that neither Wilder nor Zhang would probably be able to catch Usyk, never mind knock him out.

But the duo is in the bunch of heavyweights just below the elite level, and this fight could lead to a world title shot and huge payday, so it promises to be an interesting fight at the very least.

On the money line, the sportsbooks make Zhang their favorite to win at -163. Deontay Wilder is +130 to get the win that puts his career back on track.

In the betting for the fight to go the distance, it is no shock to see that no is -400. A bet on the fight going the 12 rounds pays +275.

Further props markets have Wilder at +175 to win by KO/TKO/DQ. Zhang is +110. A Wilder points victory is +1200, and a Zhang decision win is +500.

More boxing betting odds are available on our odds table. For our prices, we have only used the best betting sites for wagering on boxing. You can read more about the sites on our Boxing Betting Online Apps page

Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang
Deontay Wilder	+130	+130	+130
Zhilei Zhang	-163	-163	-163

Go the distance - No	-400	-400	-400
Go the distance - Yes	+275	+275	+275

Deontay Wilder Career Breakdown

Deontay Wilder has a professional boxing record of 43-3-1. The 38-year-old is a former heavyweight champion, having held the WBC title from 2015 until he lost it to Tyson Fury in February 2020.

In his last four fights, Wilder has lost three. He twice was well beaten by Fury. Wilder ended that losing skid by beating Robert Helenius with a first-round KO in October 2022.

He was then outclassed by Joseph Parker at the Kingdom Arena in his most recent fight, losing by unanimous decision to the New Zealander in a below-par performance in December 2023.

Out of Wilder’s 43 wins, 42 have come by knockout. He is not the best technical boxer on the planet. But he sure can knock opponents out.

Deontay Wilder To beat Zhilei Zhang

+130

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Zhilei Zhang Career Breakdown

Zhilei Zhang is a 41-year-old Chinese with a 26-2-1 professional boxing record. He was long considered a journeyman until he picked up back-to-back wins against up-and-coming British boxer Joe Joyce.

Before the wins over Joyce, Zhang was defeated for the first time in his career by Filip Hrgovic by unanimous decision at this same arena in August 2022.

The back-to-back wins over Joyce followed in April 2023 and September 2023, both in Joyce’s native Britain.

With a shot at a world title within touching distance, Zhang lost a close contest to Joseph Parker in March 2024. The defeat to the Kiwi was his most recent fight. Of his 26 wins, 21 are by KO and five by decision.

Zhilei Zhang To beat Deontay Wilder

-163

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Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang Picks and Predictions

Deontay Wilder has been regarded as washed up since his two defeats to Tyson Fury. But signing to the Matchroom stable may be the spark the Bronze Bomber needs to restart his struggling career.

All things equal, we think Wilder wins. If the lethargic version that turned up to fight Parker is on show, he may well lose.

But we believe Eddie Hearn and Matchroom will have revitalized Wilder and think he will have too much power for Zhang on the night.

Our betting pick is for Deontay Wilder to win by KO/TKO/DQ at +175.

Deontay Wilder To beat Zhilei Zhang by KO

+175

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