There is a lot on the line when Deontay Wilder 43-3-1 (42) faces Zhilei Zhang 26-2-1 (21) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 1 as part of the five-versus-five fight promotion.
The 38-year-old former WBC heavyweight champion has seen his career stall in recent years, boxing just twice in the past 30 months, a first-round blowout of Robert Helenius and virtual shutout loss to Joseph Parker in his last fight in December.
Those results came on the back of a brace of knockout losses to reigning WBC champion Tyson Fury, leaving him with a record of 1-3 in his last four fights dating back more than four years.
His recent poor form has come at a cost. A long mooted fight with former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was put on ice after his loss to ex-WBO boss Parker.
But in a remarkable turn of event, it looks like that fight could still take place this year if the stars align right.
“People are always going to want to see that fight no matter what,” Wilder told BBC Sport. “I put it in the high 90s [percentage chance of happening].
“I always said it before, it’ll be a shame if we never fought. It only takes that one fight, that one night. June 1st is going to be that night, that one fight.
“Deontay Wilder knocks [Zhang’s] head off and the world goes crazy. And there we go again, Wilder versus Joshua. They want it [again].”
Wilder admitted that he had lost his edge going in to the fight with New Zealand’s Parker, 32, but insists he has the hunger back. He will need it too against 40-year-old Chinese southpaw Zhang, who dropped Parker twice in their bout last month only to face late and lose a majority decision.
“That monster wasn’t there no more,” Wilder said. “It was one of those boring fights where if anyone did any type of action they won.
“That’s how I look at that fight. Joseph Parker is definitely not better than Deontay Wilder, at all. He was just the better man on the night.”
One reason the Joshua fight looks like it could still take place is because of Wilder’s new working relationship with the 34-year-old Brit’s promoter Matchroom Boxing, who have made him their captain on the ‘5v5’ show pitting their boxers against fighters from rival stable Queensberry Promotions.
“To be apart of Matchroom and the captain, how ironic that is, but how special and sweet it is at the same time,” Wilder said to The Stomping Ground.
“I once was told from a wise old man when you’re doing business even with people you don’t like, business is business, treat it accordingly.
“Sometimes you may have to work with the people that you’ll never see yourself working with in 1000 years, but at the end of the day being around a person for so long, understanding their ways as they understand your ways, you know what type of category or place to put them in when they’re in your environment.
“So when you know how to handle a person you’re able to get along with them, you’re able to coexist with them.”
