Deontay Wilder will undoubtedly search for his potent proper hand to erase a 68-pound weight drawback.
The stage is ready for Matchroom Boxing vs. Queensberry 5-v-5 event. The five-bout set airs reside Saturday on DAZN Pay-Per-View from Kingdom Enviornment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) was 214.6 kilos in hopes to rebound from his current outing. The previous WBC heavyweight titlist was 213 kilos in a lopsided defeat to Parker final Dec. 23, additionally at Kingdom Enviornment.
Zhang was 282.7 kilos, down almost 9 from his final outing. The Ring’s No. 5-rated heavyweight was a profession heaviest 291.6 kilos in a disappointing loss to Joseph Parker on March 8 on this very venue.
Wilder not solely represents Matchroom in a enjoyable plot twist, however was named workforce captain for Saturday’s occasion. Zhang fights for Queensberry for the fourth straight time.
Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois will compete for the interim IBF heavyweight title.
The standing was accepted by the sanctioning physique on Friday morning, as a concession to Hrgovic’s overdue obligatory challenger standing.
Croatia’s Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs)—representing Matchroom—was 247.4 kilos, his heaviest battle weight since Sept. 2020.
London’s Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) was a career-heaviest 245.8 kilos. The Queensberry-signed former secondary WBA heavyweight titlist 239 kilos in a tenth spherical knockout of Jarrell Miller final Dec. 23 on this venue.
Hrgovic has been obligatory since an Aug. 2022 win over Zhang of their IBF closing eliminator in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Raymond Ford defends his WBA featherweight title versus England’s Nick Ball.
Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs), No. 7 at 126, was 125.4 kilos as he makes an attempt his first protection. Ball (19-0-1, 11 KOs), No. 4 at 126, was 125.8 kilos in his second title bid. The Queensberry-promoted Brit was thought-about unfortunate to accept a attract his March 8 problem of WBC featherweight titlist and Ring No. 3 Rey Vargas (36-1-1, 22 KOs) at this very venue.
Ford received the title in dramatic vogue. The 25-year-old southpaw from Camden, New Jersey stopped Otabek within the closing seconds of their March 2 instantaneous basic in Verona, New York. The win noticed Ford turn out to be Matchroom’s first home-grown U.S. fighter to assert a serious title.
Queensberry workforce captain Hamzah Sheeraz and Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams are set for his or her scheduled 12-round WBC middleweight title eliminator.
Ilford’s Sheeraz (19-0, 15 KOs) effortlessly unfold 159.6 kilos throughout his 6’3” body. Houston’s Williams (16-0, 11 KOs) was 159.4 kilos, as he sported a Cherokee headdress throughout the weigh-in.
Matchroom’s Craig Richards and Queensberry’s Willy Hutchinson have been each inside the mild heavyweight restrict for his or her scheduled 12-round contest.
Richards (18-3-1, 11 KOs) was 174.2 kilos for his first profession battle exterior of England. Scotland’s Hutchinson 17-1 (13 KOs) was 174 kilos in his second battle past the U.Okay. and first exterior of Europe.
The 2 have exchanged barbs all week and actually went head-to-head throughout Friday’s weigh-in.
Outdoors of the 5-vs.-5 event, Dmitrii Bivol (22-0, 11 KOs) defends his WBA mild heavyweight title versus unbeaten Malik Zinad.
Bivol—co-promoted by Matchroom—weighed proper on the 175-pound divisional restrict. Zinad (22-0, 16 KOs) was 174.2 kilos.
The evening was initially put aside for Bivol to face Artur Beterbiev for the RING/undisputed mild heavyweight championship. Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs), No. 1 at 175, was pressured to withdraw as a consequence of a torn meniscus.
Zinad answered the decision instantly. The 30-year-old Libyan-based out of Malta enters his first profession title battle.
Bivol has held the WBA mild heavyweight belt since Nov. 2017, his reign the second-longest amongst male lively titleholders. He’ll enter his 12th profession full title battle.
Jake Donovan is a senior author for The Ring and vp of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America.
Observe @JakeNDaBox
