Zhang KNOCKS OUT Wilder in fifth round with explosive right hook

• Zhang sent Deontay Wilder sprawling in the fifth round of their Riyadh bout 
• Frank Warren claimed bragging rights over Eddie Hearn with a clean sweep 
• Bivol kept his perfect record and Ball won the WBA World Featherweight title

Zhilei Zhang knocked out Deontay Wilder in the fifth round of their showdown in Riyadh with an explosive right hook on a momentous night for Frank Warren.

Wilder had been knocked off balance by Zhang’s previous blow and then the Chinese heavyweight closed in to finish the job, brutally flooring his opponent.

It capped off a remarkable night for Warren‘s Queensbury promotion in Riyadh, who completed a clean sweep over Eddie Hearn‘s Matchroom Boxing. 

In truth the fight looked as if it would go Zhang’s way all along.

He landed a big right hook in the second round as his American opponent struggled.  

Turning up the heat in the third round, he subjected Wilder to constant pressure and suppressed the lethal right hand of the Bronze Bomber. 

Wilder punched his own chest at the start of the fourth round to try and fire himself up for the contest but couldn’t land many blows. 

In the fifth round, he was sent spinning by a right hand from Zhang and crumpled to the floor after a hammer blow from his 41-year-old adversary. 

Warren takes home the bragging rights over rival promoter Hearn following a unique night in Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Arena.

First Willy Hutchinson beat Craig Richards on points, scoring 116-112, 117-111, 119-109 on the scorecards to make it 1-0 to Team Warren. 

Then Nick Ball claimed the WBA World Featherweight title by beating Ray Ford via split decision, winning 113-115, 115-113, 115-113. 

After that came a knockout by Hamzah Sheeraz in the 11th round against Ammo Williams in their middleweight eliminator bout.

Dmitry Bivol stopped Malik Zinad with his first knockout since 2018, extending his record to 23-0. 

In the fifth fight, Daniel Dubois gave Filip Hrgovic a nasty beating – with gruesome cuts above both his eyes – and claimed the interim IBF heavyweight title with an eighth-round stoppage. 

Hearn might have hoped to save face with a Wilder win, but it wasn’t to be, and his crown jewel on the night hardly looked like he wanted to be there.