If Saturday's knockout defeat was the last bout of Deontay Wilder's storied career, the record will show it came at 1:51 of the fifth round at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the hands of a crushing double right hook by Zhilei Zhang.
It says here, though, that Wilder's career was effectively ended on Oct. 9, 2021, in Las Vegas when he was stopped by Tyson Fury. It was the third time that pair met in what had become an epic rivalry, but the punishment he absorbed in those three fights was more than his reed-thin legs could bear.
Fury himself spoke of retirement that night nearly three years ago in Las Vegas, recognizing the punishment he'd taken from Wilder.
Wilder knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round of his return after that bout, but it was a one-punch KO and there was little chance to see Wilder work. But in losses by decision to Joseph Parker on Dec. 23 and on Saturday by fifth-round KO to Zhang, Wilder was unable to let his lethal right hand go.
That happens to a guy when he's taken as many punches as his brain will allow. Wilder was so powerful that he often took little damage in fights, because he would end them so quickly. But he often left himself wide open and against the better boxers he faced, he struggled to be able to defend himself properly. He was a fierce warrior who was fearless and wouldn't quit, but after the three bouts with Fury, he couldn't take any more.
Zhang's win Saturday completed a sweep for Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions in the “5 Versus 5" competition set up by Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi government official who has done so much to lift boxing back to relevance. Warren's five fighters -- Zhang, Daniel Dubois, Hamzah Sheeraz, Nick Ball and Willy Hutchinson -- each won their bouts by defeating Hearn's fighters. Hutchinson upset Craig Richards by decision in a light heavyweight bout; Ball won the WBA featherweight title by split decision over Raymond Ford; Sheeraz stopped Austin Williams in the 11th of their middleweight bout and Dubois stopped Filip Hrgovic in the eighth to take the interim IBF heavyweight title.
That won Warren's side $3 million from the Saudis.
Zhang, nicknamed "Big Bang," was coming off a decision loss in March to Parker. He had knocked Parker down twice, but Parker hung in there and scored the victory.
"When I lost to Parker, it was a [tough] loss [but] he was the better man that night," Zhang said. "I do think I learned a lot from that fight. I do think after I knocked out Joe Joyce, I was overconfident and I underestimated Parker. I knew i had to stay focused [against Wilder]. As long as teh bell didn't ring, stay focused."
Zhang was hoping to get a bout with Anthony Joshua, the former unified champion, but Dubois' performance against Hrgovic was so sensational that it looks like he'll fight Joshua on Sept. 21 in London at Wembley Stadium.
Zhang doesn't have a natural opponent at this point, but having Wilder on his resume will do wonders for him.
Wilder left the ring without speaking on Saturday, but he was vocal throughout the build-up that he'd retire if he didn't win. Wilder started his career 40-0 with 39 knockouts. But he's 3-4-1 since and he's lost four of his last five. He was knocked out twice by Fury and on Saturday by Zhang and took a beating over 12 rounds from Parker.
He made millions, won a world title and fought most of the biggest names of his era, so he has nothing to be ashamed of and can head into retirement satisfied that's he'd gotten the most out of his talent.
He simply wasn't a threat in his last two outings and without the devastating power, he's not got much chance of winning. Even at the end, he was a crude boxer filled with holes and was easily hittable. In his prime, that didn't matter because he had the nuclear right hand.
But on Saturday, he was backing away and not looking to engage, as he seemingly knew he didn't have what it took to hurt Zhang. He fought the same way against Parker.
One irony is that when he finally did let the right hand go, it left him open and vulnerable. He threw his right and Zhang crazked him with a right hook. That punch badly hurt Wilder and made him do a 360. As he spun like a top from the center of the ring toward the corner, the 282-pound Zhang chugged after him in hot pursuit. As Wilder turned around to face Zhang, Zhang unleased his second right hook and Wilder was down and out.
Wilder often talked of wanting to kill a man in the ring, which was as disgusting as it was ridiculous, in a boast about his own power. On Saturday, the power of another man overwhelmed him. But this was a conclusion that was a long time coming. The beginning of the end came when he first signed on the dotted line to fight Fury.
The end officially came at 1:51 of the fifth round in Saudi Arabia, thousands of miles away from his beloved Alabama.
It wouldn't be a wise decision to choose to fight again. There aren't a lot of big fights out there for him, and he is no longer the guy he was at his peak. He'd be at risk of serious injury.
He's got his faculties and millions in the bank.
Despite a few losses at the end, he ultimately came out of this brutal game a winner.
Mark Robinson/Matchroom
Deontay Wilder is out cold after getting flattened inthe fifth round Saturday by Zhilei Zhang.