The event features a six-bout main card headlined by the Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang heavyweight showdown on DAZN pay-per-view. The Wilder vs. zhang zhilei boxer ring walks are expected to take place approximately around 6 p.m. ET.
As if Zhilei Zhang wasn’t already intimidating—as if being 6' 6" with Thanos-like fists didn’t make your knees rattle, as if back-to-back knockout wins last year over granite-chinned Brit Joe Joyce weren’t enough—on this particular mid-November afternoon, inside a nondescript gun range in northern New Jersey, Zhang has his fingers wrapped around a Sig Sauer P365 XL. Guns, Zhang insists, were never his thing. His trainer, Shaun George, introduced him to recreational shooting a few years ago; Kurt Li, his co-manager, translator and, it turned out, part-time range safety officer, showed him the ropes. The first time he pulled a trigger, his hands trembled.
He was fast and rough, and these qualities made him successful in his profession. In his career, Márquez held various titles such as WBA, WBO featherweight, IBF, WBC super featherweight, lineal lightweight, and WBO junior welterweight. Out of 64 fights, he had incredible 56 wins, one draw, 40 wins by KO, and seven losses. He has a net worth of $20 million.
Wilder has lost four of his past five fights, including a decision defeat to Joseph Parker in December along with a pair of losses to Tyson Fury in their heavyweight championship trilogy. Wilder said before the fight that if he lost, "this could be the final goodbye, the farewell of Deontay Wilder."
The victory made it a clean sweep for Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions, which was squaring off with rival U.K. promoter Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing in a unique 5 vs. 5 team concept created by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.
"A little bit more practise . Zhang is a fellow silver medallist, he’s good fighter and hits hard. He’s an awkward style because he’s a southpaw and a powerful southpaw at that. I just couldn’t get away, I kept getting hit by his left hand. I’m disappointed. I’d like to apologise to all my fans and supporters. I’ll be back. My journey’s not over. This is just a hurdle I’ve tripped over. I’ll be back.
A few months after Zhang’s debut, Dynasty Boxing went bust. "We ran out of money," says Terry. The Lanes exited the business. Duva pivoted Zhang to Roc Nation, with Duva joining as an executive. Roc Nation—like many new promoters—entered boxing with a bunch of money and no plan. Zhang continued to fight but often at low-profile shows. When he did get opportunities he stumbled. In 2015, Zhang, fighting on the undercard of Miguel Cotto’s middleweight title defense against Canelo Álvarez, faced Juan Goode. Zhang was knocked down in the fourth round, narrowly squeezing out a decision. "He looked like s---," says Duva. "His training, his diet, his living habits, they were all bad." The next year George returned and addressed it, laying out a structured schedule and enlisting nutritionists.
The Mayweather fight proved to be a humbling experience for Àlvarez as Mayweather put on a defensive clinic leaving Canelo stumped. However, Àlvarez pocketed $5 million in guaranteed earnings plus a share of $2.2 million in pay-per-views and quickly revived his winning streak.
The New Zealand-born fighter lost a razor-thin decision to Dillian Whyte but won his next six fights, which included a pair of wins over perennial contender Chisora (SD 12/ UD 12). The 32-year-old lost a physically grueling fight against Joyce (KO 11). To his credit, he rebounded with four wins, notably dominating Deontay Wilder (UD 12) which helped earn him The Ring Comeback of The Year for 2023.
In 1995, Zhang was called up to the Shenqiu County canoe sprinting team by coach Li Guofeng. When Zhang injured his leg during a tryout for the provincial canoe sprinting team, he was referred to the provincial boxing coach Gu Ganqing. In 1998, Gu signed him to the Combat and Weightlifting Center in the Henan Provincial Department of Sports, headed by center chief Li Yan in Shangjie. From 1998 until he was released from his sporting obligations, he was coached by Gu. This was the first time Zhang had lived away from his family.
Am 23. September 2023 gewann er den Rückkampf gegen Joseph Joyce durch K. o. in der dritten Runde. Seinen nächsten Kampf bestritt er dann am 8. März 2024 und verlor dabei knapp durch Mehrheitsentscheidung der Punktrichter gegen Joseph Parker.
"My managers flew to London, and I got words. So I don’t think he’s going to fight me. Look at his previous opponents – Francis Ngannou from the UFC, Robert Helenius, I don’t think he has what it takes to stand up to me. The way he picks his opponents says a lot about him. Neither does Eddie want it. He’s a cash cow for Eddie."
"Here’s another intriguing fight in a whole series of 2024 interesting matchups. Two big old guys, two big punchers. This could go a number of ways, and I’m hoping its not a boring, plodding affair. My feeling is that it will go to the other side of the coin. It should provide tense, edge-of-the-seat stuff because of the thudding power each possesses. I would not be at all surprised to see each man knocked down in this one. Wilder looked like he was seriously deteriorating in the match against Parker, who boxed smartly. However, Parker has a whole different skillset than Zhang, so I don’t see the Chinese star being able to use the same strategy. In trying to visualize, I see both landing power shots, but Zhang better able to absorb, and eventually knocking out Wilder somewhere around the eighth round."
As if Zhilei Zhang wasn’t already intimidating—as if being 6' 6" with Thanos-like fists didn’t make your knees rattle, as if back-to-back knockout wins last year over granite-chinned Brit Joe Joyce weren’t enough—on this particular mid-November afternoon, inside a nondescript gun range in northern New Jersey, Zhang has his fingers wrapped around a Sig Sauer P365 XL. Guns, Zhang insists, were never his thing. His trainer, Shaun George, introduced him to recreational shooting a few years ago; Kurt Li, his co-manager, translator and, it turned out, part-time range safety officer, showed him the ropes. The first time he pulled a trigger, his hands trembled.
He was fast and rough, and these qualities made him successful in his profession. In his career, Márquez held various titles such as WBA, WBO featherweight, IBF, WBC super featherweight, lineal lightweight, and WBO junior welterweight. Out of 64 fights, he had incredible 56 wins, one draw, 40 wins by KO, and seven losses. He has a net worth of $20 million.
Wilder has lost four of his past five fights, including a decision defeat to Joseph Parker in December along with a pair of losses to Tyson Fury in their heavyweight championship trilogy. Wilder said before the fight that if he lost, "this could be the final goodbye, the farewell of Deontay Wilder."The victory made it a clean sweep for Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions, which was squaring off with rival U.K. promoter Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing in a unique 5 vs. 5 team concept created by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.
"A little bit more practise . Zhang is a fellow silver medallist, he’s good fighter and hits hard. He’s an awkward style because he’s a southpaw and a powerful southpaw at that. I just couldn’t get away, I kept getting hit by his left hand. I’m disappointed. I’d like to apologise to all my fans and supporters. I’ll be back. My journey’s not over. This is just a hurdle I’ve tripped over. I’ll be back.
A few months after Zhang’s debut, Dynasty Boxing went bust. "We ran out of money," says Terry. The Lanes exited the business. Duva pivoted Zhang to Roc Nation, with Duva joining as an executive. Roc Nation—like many new promoters—entered boxing with a bunch of money and no plan. Zhang continued to fight but often at low-profile shows. When he did get opportunities he stumbled. In 2015, Zhang, fighting on the undercard of Miguel Cotto’s middleweight title defense against Canelo Álvarez, faced Juan Goode. Zhang was knocked down in the fourth round, narrowly squeezing out a decision. "He looked like s---," says Duva. "His training, his diet, his living habits, they were all bad." The next year George returned and addressed it, laying out a structured schedule and enlisting nutritionists.
The Mayweather fight proved to be a humbling experience for Àlvarez as Mayweather put on a defensive clinic leaving Canelo stumped. However, Àlvarez pocketed $5 million in guaranteed earnings plus a share of $2.2 million in pay-per-views and quickly revived his winning streak.
The New Zealand-born fighter lost a razor-thin decision to Dillian Whyte but won his next six fights, which included a pair of wins over perennial contender Chisora (SD 12/ UD 12). The 32-year-old lost a physically grueling fight against Joyce (KO 11). To his credit, he rebounded with four wins, notably dominating Deontay Wilder (UD 12) which helped earn him The Ring Comeback of The Year for 2023.
In 1995, Zhang was called up to the Shenqiu County canoe sprinting team by coach Li Guofeng. When Zhang injured his leg during a tryout for the provincial canoe sprinting team, he was referred to the provincial boxing coach Gu Ganqing. In 1998, Gu signed him to the Combat and Weightlifting Center in the Henan Provincial Department of Sports, headed by center chief Li Yan in Shangjie. From 1998 until he was released from his sporting obligations, he was coached by Gu. This was the first time Zhang had lived away from his family.
Am 23. September 2023 gewann er den Rückkampf gegen Joseph Joyce durch K. o. in der dritten Runde. Seinen nächsten Kampf bestritt er dann am 8. März 2024 und verlor dabei knapp durch Mehrheitsentscheidung der Punktrichter gegen Joseph Parker.
"My managers flew to London, and I got words. So I don’t think he’s going to fight me. Look at his previous opponents – Francis Ngannou from the UFC, Robert Helenius, I don’t think he has what it takes to stand up to me. The way he picks his opponents says a lot about him. Neither does Eddie want it. He’s a cash cow for Eddie."
"Here’s another intriguing fight in a whole series of 2024 interesting matchups. Two big old guys, two big punchers. This could go a number of ways, and I’m hoping its not a boring, plodding affair. My feeling is that it will go to the other side of the coin. It should provide tense, edge-of-the-seat stuff because of the thudding power each possesses. I would not be at all surprised to see each man knocked down in this one. Wilder looked like he was seriously deteriorating in the match against Parker, who boxed smartly. However, Parker has a whole different skillset than Zhang, so I don’t see the Chinese star being able to use the same strategy. In trying to visualize, I see both landing power shots, but Zhang better able to absorb, and eventually knocking out Wilder somewhere around the eighth round."