Zhilei Zhang sends Deontay Wilder into probable retirement, Daniel Dubious stops overconfident Filip Hrgovic

Plodding forward and picking his punches to the point of throwing nearly nothing, Zhilei Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) (43-4, 42 KOs) finally caught and stopped former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder in round five at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Both big men were cautious from the get-go. Wilder jabbed and moved to his left. Southpaw Zhang, sixty pounds heavier, followed him. Wilder, who made his name and won the heavyweight title on the strength of his right hand, was having problems throwing it. He’s the clean-up man who won’t swing. When he did fire the right, it lacked conviction. 

Zhang,41, connected with an uppercut in round two. Wilder did as well but feared a counter from the hulking Zhang. Zhang worked a little downstairs in round three. Zhang snapped Wilder’s head back. 

Before round four, Wilder’s trainer, Malik Scott, told his fighter. “To let the F###### right go.” Wilder nodded. A minute into the round, he did just that. It landed, but nothing happened. Zhang countered. Wilder kept trying.

He scored with two solid rights in round five. Wilder,38, let a big right go again, but Zhang beat him to the punch. His lead right spun Wilder near the ropes. Zhang moved in and connected with another right hook that knocked Wilder flat on his back. He beat the count, but the referee waved off the fight. 

The time was 1:51 seconds into round five. 

The fight was the main event of the “5 vs 5” card between Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Promotions.

Daniel Dubois believes. 

Previously undefeated, Filip Hrgovic found out that being cocky doesn’t win fights. 

Asked before his fight with Dubois if he was nervous, Hrgovic said no because Dubois was no challenge.

The cocky Ukrainian quickly found how wrong he was. Dubois absorbed his best punches and stopped him in round eight in the co-main of the “5 v 5” card Saturday night. 

Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) was aggressive from the opening bell. So aggressive he couldn’t get out of the way of Hrgovic’s right hand. Over and over, Hrgovic connected. Dubois kept coming, ignoring the blows and pumping stiff jabs into Hrgovic’s face. 

Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs) kept punching, and Dubois kept catching, but by round five, Hrgovic, bleeding from a cut near his right eye, looked spent. 

Dubois seemed to grow in strength as his opponent weakened. Dubois came out winging shots in round seven. 

A big left hurt the 6-foot-6 Hrgovic, who was also bleeding from another cut. He seemed in disbelief as Dubois, the fighter he called weak, beat him up. 

Dubois continued pounding on a reeling Hrgovic in round eight. 

The referee stopped the action in round eight and called for the ringside doctor to look at the cuts near the eyes of Hrgovic. He advised the referee to call the fight off. 

The time was 57 seconds into round 8.