In the Queensberry vs Matchroom 5-on-5, Frank Warren's Queensberry team was dominated, with Zhang Zilei knocking out former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in the fifth round of the main event to complete the domination of Eddie Hearn's Matchroom team.
The inaugural 5-on-5 event took place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The build-up to the Wilder vs. Chang fight was tantamount to a crossroads fight with the winner continuing his boxing journey and the loser finishing it off and ending his career.
The opening rounds of the heavyweight bout saw both fighters trying to find distance with their lead hands, with Zhang consistently pushing forward and Wilder looking to back away.
One minute into the second round, Zhang backed Wilder into a corner and started to land punches. One minute before the end of the second round, Wilder landed a right punch, which Zhang responded with a combination punch.
In the third round, Wilder still appeared wary and hesitant to reach out. In the fourth round, Zhang continued to advance and keep the mental pressure on Wilder. Zhang was conservative with his punches and was motionless for the first four rounds of the bout.
Wilder started the fifth round with a hard right punch and followed it up with two more right punches. With 1 minute 26 seconds left in the fifth round, Chang landed a right hook on Wilder, sending him spinning 360 degrees.
Zhang landed a second right punch on Wilder, sending him to the mat. The former heavyweight champion slowly got to his feet, but was in no condition to continue and the referee stopped the bout.
Zhang Zhilei (27-2-1, 22 KOs) recorded the biggest win of his career, sealing the championship as his Queensberry team won all five bouts. The victory puts the 41-year-old in position for another big fight.
Deontay Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) is likely headed toward retirement. Wilder was a fighter who exceeded expectations despite limited boxing skill, winning a world title and successfully defending it 10 times.
Although Wilder was a tall man, he had always been a small heavyweight fighter, and in the fight with Zhang, Wilder weighed 214 pounds to Zhang's 282, making Wilder 68 pounds outweighed.
The night of June 1, 2024, could have been Deontay Wilder's final boxing fight. Before the fight, Wilder had spoken about retirement, but usually when an athlete talks about retirement before a fight, it's a sign that they're already mentally withdrawn.
