- Zhilei Zhang has a 26-2-1 record, with 21 wins inside the distance
- Deontay Wilder has lost three of his last four fights
- Recommended bet: Zhilei Zhang to win in rounds 1-6

Former WBC heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder returns to the ring in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night against the dangerous Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia, as part of a stacked 5 vs 5 card.

Both of these men are coming into this bout following defeats to the same fighter, New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, and the clash looks a must-win for both Wilder and Zhang.

Wilder lost his unbeaten record and title to Tyson Fury in 2020 and now has suffered three defeats in his last four fights, and only a win will do for the American if he is to get back to challenging for world honours.

Zhang has never been involved in a world title fight and at 41, time is no longer on his side in his own bid to claim a world belt.

The stats

All 21 of Zhang’s stoppage wins have come inside the opening six rounds.

Wilder has a 43-3-1 record with 42 victories inside the distance, giving him a KO rate of just under 98%.

Zhang’s two losses have both been on points.

Two of Wilder’s three defeats have been stoppages. 

Prediction

Wilder and Zhang are both coming into this showdown after respective defeats to Parker, and how they performed against the former WBO world champion does offer a few clues as to how this may play out.

Parker is a very different fighter to the two men on show here and those fights both went the distance - but an early finish looks more likely on Saturday night.

Zhang is a pressure fighter who uses his sheer size to dominate opponents, while Wilder boasts incredible knockout power and his tactics rely on landing his devastating shots. 

Zhang started strongly against Parker and a third-round knockdown suggested he could be in for a relatively easy night, but Parker recovered and managed to grind out a win on points by using his superior movement and footwork.

A Wilder in his prime may well be too much for Zhang to cope with but the Bronze Bomber underwhelmed in his own defeat to Parker. He failed to get his shots away and deservedly lost via unanimous decision.

Wilder just does not have the mobility to stay out of Zhang’s range in the way Parker was able to, and that could prove to be his downfall.

If Big Bang is able to close the distance and land with his powerful jab he should be able to engineer a few openings for his own big-hitting blows.

Wilder’s power means he will always be a threat but Zhang has never been stopped and has never really appeared to be hurt.

Either way, this looks the kind of match-up where the second half of the fight will not be required and fans of round betting should consider the under 5.5 and under 6.5 rounds markets. However, Zhang clearly looks the more likely victor and a win in rounds 1-6 for the Chinese superstar appeals. 

Back Zhilei Zhang to win in rounds 1-6 at 19/10 with LiveScore Bet.