It is the worst knockout that a fighter can suffer. A solid shot momentarily disorients the victim and leaves them completely defenseless… while still on his feet. Just for a second, the fighter is an easy target for whatever weapon his opponent selects for combat. knockout. Deontay Wilder was on the unwanted end of this experience at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena on Saturday.
Zhilei Zhang had led a relatively single-paced fight for four rounds. Wilder was a shadow of the man who reigned as WBC heavyweight champion for five years and notched 10 successful title defenses. He offered a small, harmless paw with his left hand, but was unwilling or unable to pull the trigger on his once-lethal right. “The Bronze Bomber” simply walked away and did his best to avoid contact while he searched for the perfect opening.
In the fifth round it would all be over. The 280-plus-pound Zhang connected with a pulverizing right hook that spun the American around 180 degrees. Wilder, 38, had a confused look on his face for about a second, which was all the time Zhang needed to close the gap and fire another devastating right hand to the head. Wilder fell as if hit by a car and took a brief nap. A fighter through and through, the former champion woke up mid-count and surprisingly found his feet, but referee Keiran McCann was there to give him a hug and signal the fight.
I was never what you would call a Wilder fan. I like a boxer more than a puncher, so he didn’t have the attributes to attract me. Still, he was more than capable of impressing me during work hours. His one-punch knockouts of Dominic Breazeale, Bermane Stiverne (2) and Luis Ortiz (2) were insane. It was almost as if that right arm of his was loaded with spring steel.
However, what we later learned about Wilder was how much courage he had: the courage of a soldier. Once the secret of his one-armed bandit approach was revealed and the magic was lost from him, Wilder was tested to the limit by fighters who could take away his signature punch (Joseph Parker) or get up off of him (Tyson Fury). .
In his return fight with “The Gypsy King” in February 2020, Wilder took an absolute beating, but did not give up. Never! In fact, he parted ways with trainer Mark Breland because the former champion threw in the towel in the seventh round. Breland was showing mercy, but Wilder was prepared to die in the ring that night.
This loss was the beginning of the end. Despite the one-sided nature of his first professional setback, Wilder took Fury to court to force a third fight in October 2021. In one round, the fourth, the former champion was is near to secure a knockout victory over his hot rival. However, Wilder was a much better puncher than finisher, and Fury survived two knockdowns to take charge of the fight. The damage Wilder absorbed until his eleventh round knockout loss was brutal.
A spectacular first-round knockout victory over Finland’s Robert Helenius in October 2022 convinced some fans that Wilder’s decline was being exaggerated. However, the decision to select Parker in preparation for Anthony Joshua was a big mistake. Last December, the talented New Zealander closed the lid on Wilder with a resounding points victory and now Zhang has buried him with a devastating stoppage.
There has never been a one-punch knockout artist like Wilder; not Liston, not Foreman, not Tyson… none of them. But as those fighters would come to realize, the mantle of invincibility acquired through otherworldly striking and intimidating power is not forever. Wilder took advantage of his luck more than most, forging his own legacy as a world champion while earning millions of dollars. His life is a great success story. Now, for the sake of his health and reputation, he needs to retire with dignity and enjoy his wealth and his family. He has earned it.
