Zhilei Zhang handed former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder his
fourth loss in his last five fights this past Saturday in Saudi Arabia with a fifth-round knockout. Wilder only landed 16 of his 95 punches in the match while Zhang connected on 33 of 73, including 29 of his 57 power punches.
At this point in his career, the 38-year-old Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) should seriously consider retirement. Never a great technical boxer, the fighter nicknamed the Bronze Bomber, who battled in the ring five times at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, winning all five, now essentially has just one effective punch in his arsenal: a still thunderous right hand. Furthermore, the Tuscaloosa, Alabama native’s lack of mobility made him an easy target for Zhang (27-2-1, 21 KOs), which it also did for Joseph Parker, Robert Helenius and Tyson Fury in succession, who account for his other three defeats.
Also on Saturday, the UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defeated Dustin Poirier by submission in the fifth round to retain his title in the main event of UFC 302 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
It was the second UFC event at Prudential Center in a city that is nearly 50% African American, and the economic benefits are consequential. “Last year’s UFC 288 event marked the highest-grossing sporting event in Prudential Center history and generated over $25 million in total economic output,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in a statement.
“The City of Newark and Prudential Center continue to be a premium entertainment hub for visitors all across the country and the world. We are proud and excited to welcome the UFC and its fans back to New Jersey.”
UFC 288, held last September, attracted a sold-out crowd of more than 17,500 and recorded a gate of $5.2 million, making it the highest-grossing sporting event in Prudential Center history until Saturday, when UFC 302 surpassed that total, with a gate of $7,255,040 and 17,834 attendees.
UFC lightweight competitor Terrance McKinney visited the Boys & Girls Club of Newark and offered advice to the teen boys and girls, one of three community service events the company did in the Newark area. “You can let it define you, or you can get back up and keep fighting, and that’s kind of what I stand on,” he shared. “You can start at the bottom, but the top is not that far away if you look up.”
This Saturday night, Puerto Rican boxer Xander Zayas (18-0, 12 KOs) will challenge Patrick Teixeira Jr. (34-4, 25 KOs) on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in a 10-round, junior middleweight matchup that will also air on ESPN beginning at 11 p.m. Also on the card, Brownsville, Brooklyn’s own Bruce Carrington (11-0, 7 KOs) will take on Jose Enrique Vivas (23-3, 12 KOs) in a 10-round featherweight battle in the co-main event.
On July 6 at the Prudential Center, Newark native and WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) will face German Artem Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) in a 12-round clash.