Tony Bellew Praises HE Turki Alalshikh for Potential Matchup Between Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang

Two heavyweight clashes between top contenders are on the verge of becoming official, promising a night of knockouts in the scorching heat of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Deontay Wilder, the hard-hitting former champion, will trade punches with Zhilei Zhang, in a battle of the top heavyweights. In the other ring, Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois are in talks for a clash against each other.

Hrgovic, the Croatian contender, brings his granite chin and heavy hands, while Dubois, the young British prospect, boasts lightning-fast speed and thunderous power. These two exciting matchups will serve as the sizzling undercard for the highly anticipated undisputed light heavyweight championship clash between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol on June 1st. However, former boxing champion Tony Bellew is quite excited about the other matchup between Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang.

Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang: A chance to become a contender again

Tony Bellew, the former WBC cruiserweight champion, credits the exciting matchup to the matchmaking skills of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh. Mainly because these two fighters have their backs against the ropes and are in a desperate battle for relevance. Deontay Wilder, the former champion known for his terrifying knockout power, and Zhilei Zhang, China’s rising star, both suffered stinging losses to Joseph Parker in their last outings.

These defeats shattered the possibilities of future mega-fights and left their heavyweight dreams hanging by a thread. So, this storyline is too interesting for Bellew. On X, he wrote, “#WilderZhang is a proper crossroads fight if it comes off! Both have nowhere to go with another loss! A win for either probably puts them back into contender status.. Great fight either way and once again brilliant matchmaking from @Turki_alalshikh.”

This would be a great matchup, as it’ll draw a lot of attention and it’ll initiate a redemption arc for either of the boxers. However, even Hrgovic vs. Dubois is a fight that will generate a lot of hype for the event.

Filip Hrgovic needs to assert his dominance again

Filip Hrgovic faces a risky challenge against Daniel Dubois. With Hrgovic eyeing the IBF title held by Oleksandr Usyk, risking it all against Dubois is a bold move. Dubois, fresh off a convincing win over Jarrell Miller, is brimming with confidence and power. So, this automatically makes him a formidable opponent.

Hrgovic, on the other hand, hasn’t seen action since December, when he quickly dispatched Mark De Mori. That bout raised eyebrows due to 42-year-old De Mori’s lack of competitiveness, leaving fans eager to see Hrgovic tested against a legitimate threat like Dubois. Now, with their clash set on the undercard of the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev fight in Saudi Arabia, the stage is set for a showdown that could significantly alter both of their careers.

Now it remains to be seen whether it’d be for the good or the bad. Which one is your favorite fight out of these two undercard fights? Do you agree with Tony Bellew about the relevance of Wilder vs. Zhang? Let us know in the comments section.

Also Read: Tony Bellew Appreciates HE Turki Alalshikh For Bringing “Remarkable” Differences To Boxing