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Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
Zhilei Zhang outweighed former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder by 68.2 pounds Friday ahead of their fight Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that will headline the Frank Warren-Eddie Hearn 5 vs. 5 event.
China’s Zhang weighed 282.8 pounds while Alabama’s Wilder was 214.6. Both heavyweights are reeling from upset decision losses to Joseph Parker in Riyadh. Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) was routed by Parker in December; Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) floored Parker twice in March but was still defeated.
Now, both boxers are in desperate need of a victory to remain relevant in the sport’s glamor division. Zhang, 41, is ESPN’s No. 6 heavyweight; Wilder, 38, is No. 7.
Despite the weight disadvantage, Wilder will hold a one-inch height advantage at 6-foot-7. Wilder weighed one pound more than he did against Parker but came in far lighter than his career-heaviest of 238 in the trilogy bout with Tyson Fury.
That loss to Fury was named ESPN’s 2021 Fight of the Year and KO of the Year. Wilder will represent Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing as team captain, and as such will earn double points in victory. One point will be awarded for a decision win and two points for a KO/TKO win. Wilder stands to earn four points for his team if he can add Zhang to his list of 42 knockouts.
The winning promoter will earn $3 million.
Dmitry Bivol, ESPN’s No. 5 pound-for-pound boxer, weighed 175 pounds for his WBA light heavyweight title defense vs. Malik Zinad, who was 174.2. That fight isn’t part of the 5 vs. 5, but the following are:
Heavyweight bout
Filip Hrgovic 247.4; Daniel Dubois 245.8
WBA featherweight title fight
Ray Ford 125.4; Nick Ball 125.8
Middleweight bout
Hamzah Sheeran 159.6; Austin Williams 159.4
Light heavyweight bout
Craig Richards 174.2; Willy Hutchinson 174