Deontay Wilder will fight Zhilei Zhang in a blockbuster clash as Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and Frank Warren’s Queensbury Promotions announced the card for their anticipated showdown. Daniel Dubois will meet Filip Hrgovic in the other heavyweight contest as the five-fight card was announced for 1st June in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this year, Hearn and Warren – two of the biggest promoters in the world – agreed to a deal with Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh to stage a thrilling battle between rivals Matchroom and Queensbury. Fans were excited as it was confirmed the card will feature five fighters from each promotion going toe-to-toe on the same night.
For some time, there was no further news regarding the event, but then the weight classes were revealed with light-heavyweight, middleweight, and featherweight set to feature while heavyweight enjoyed two contests – and the official clashes were announced dramatically. Both Warren and Hearn were going through their five respective picks at the press conference, with each fighter wearing a mask before revealing themselves one by one to the delight of fans.
Wilder, who suffered a surprise defeat to Joseph Parker back in December, is set to make his return to action against Zhang in a tantilising contest. The Chinese heavyweight also lost to Parker in his last fight, which came on the back of successive wins over Joe Joyce.
Zhang’s last defeat before his loss to Parker came against Hrgovic, who will take on Dubois on the summer card. A win over the Croatian could see the Brit earn a title shot, as Hrgovic is the current IBF mandatory challenger.
Dubois is coming off a crushing win against Jarrell Miller in December, when he became the first man to beat and knock out the American. Meanwhile, Hrgovic upset Zhang to turn heads on the undercard of the second fight between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, but some thought he should have lost.
The dramatic Matchroom and Queensbury five-on-five event will act as a support clash for the undisputed light-heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Hearn and Warren have been long-time rivals for years, often firing shots at one another in interviews when their fighters are in action.
However, Alalshikh is an enormous boxing fan and managed to ensure the duo agreed to work together to create the fighting extravaganza. Hearn and Warren endeavoured to make the best possible selections to improve their chances of beating out one another as the rivals go head-to-head.
Warren has also suggested he will likely place a significant wager with Hearn as they hope to come out on top in the dramatic night of action in Saudi Arabia. Check out the full card below:
Undisputed light-heavyweight titles: Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol
Deontay Wilder (Matchroom) vs Zhilei Zhang (Queensberry)
Daniel Dubois (Queensberry) vs Filip Hrgovic (Matchroom)
Raymond Ford (Matchroom) vs Nick Ball (Queensberry) – (WBA featherweight title)
Craig Richards (Matchroom) vs Willy Hutchinson (Queensberry)
Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams (Matchroom) vs Hamzah Sheeraz (Queensberry)
