Zhang Zhilei's KO of Wild was the most significant victory in the history of Chinese boxing!

Three o'clock in the morning is not lonely

2024-06-02 18:42Posted in Beijing Sports Creators

Last night, there must have been a lot of sports-loving spectators who stayed up all night.

Some people are waiting to witness the birth of the Champions League champion in the 23/24 season, some are waiting to see the boxing duel between Zhang Zhilei and Wilder, and some are watching the Champions League final on Wembley's side, and at the same time paying attention to the progress of the boxing match on the Saudi side.

For pure football fans, watching the Champions League final can catch up on sleep. But for those viewers who are following the Zhang Zhilei vs Wilder boxing fight, it was a really hard night.

In this boxing feast held in Saudi Arabia, there are a total of 6 matches, and the duel between Zhang Zhilei and Wilder is scheduled for the last match, as the highlight of the much-anticipated event.

According to the pre-game previews, Zhang Zhilei will probably appear at six or seven o'clock. In order not to miss this match, there must be many spectators who set their alarm clocks before six o'clock, or are afraid that they will not hear the alarm clock, so they simply stay up all night and watch the Champions League or the boxing match ahead.

As a result, the Zhang Zhilei vs Wilder match was not late until 8 o'clock in the morning.

Zhang Zhilei was nicknamed the "Big Bang", and Wild was nicknamed the "Bronze Bomber". The two "fried" characters very vividly reflect the boxing styles of both sides.

Although none of them are the official kings in the current season, their punch power and knockout ability are among the best. It's worth noting that the way these two knock out their opponents is often not gradual, but explosive. They've often been able to bring a fight to an abrupt end with just one or two punches in a seemingly calm situation.

In September last year, when Zhang Zhilei defeated Joyce for the second time, he ended the bout with a right hook.

In today's match, Zhang Zhilei once again staged a crisp knockout show. Coincidentally, this time, the decisive punch was another right-handed hook.

In the first round, both sides only symbolically tested each other, after all, they were both afraid of each other's backhand punches.

In the second round, Zhang Zhilei gradually gained the upper hand, blocking Wilder in the corner at one point and launching a fierce attack on him.

Rounds 3 and 4 were relatively uneventful, but Zhang Zhilei always maintained forward pressure and had some accurate hits.

This hand-to-hand hand-to-hand battle has already laid the groundwork for the final knockout.

Shortly after the start of the fifth round, Wilder landed a backhand that sent Zhang to a passive retreat. But his punches also shattered the defensive situation of both sides, and the two heavy gunners finally launched an attack.

Halfway through the fifth round, the two threw punches at the same time, with Zhang dodging Wilder's straight right hand and his own right hook solid to Wilder's face.

Wilder was visibly stunned, and he turned and walked back with messy steps, but the referee didn't say anything at this point, and the game was still going on normally. Zhang Zhilei caught up with Wild from behind, and with another right hook, Wild lay on the ground in embarrassment.

Although Wilder struggled to get to his feet, he was clearly still a little delirious, and the referee decisively stopped the bout, and Zhang won by knockout.

Although this match does not involve the fight for the title of boxing champion, no one should doubt that this is the most significant fight in the history of Chinese professional boxing, and Zhang Zhilei's victory is also the greatest victory in the history of Chinese professional boxing.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Zhang Zhilei won the silver medal in the 91kg class and Wild won the bronze medal in the 91kg class.

Although the two won medals at the same Olympics, their professional trajectories are very different.

Wilder entered the professional arena in 2008 and won the WBC heavyweight belt in 2015 and has since defended it several times. For many years, he has been one of the top heavyweights on a par with Joshua and Tyson Fury.

Zhang Zhilei only entered the professional boxing world in 2014, and when Wild repeatedly defended the belt, Zhang Zhilei played some unpopular boxing matches under the arrangement of the black-hearted promotion company.

It wasn't until 2022 that Zhang Zhilei finally entered the mainstream of professional boxing through his match against Hrgovic. He went on to defeat British boxing champion Joyce twice, putting himself in the heavyweight boxing world.

Not long ago, Zhang Zhilei lost to New Zealand's Joseph Parker by points after knocking out his opponent twice, losing the WBO heavyweight interim champion belt.

That defeat put Zhang's already promising career into trouble again, but it didn't take long for him to face Wilder.

While the bout doesn't involve a fight for the belt, and Wilder's competitive form isn't as good as it once was, a Chinese fighter's fight against a former heavyweight is a huge breakthrough in itself.

Today's Wild may not be as strong as Parker and Joyce that Zhang Zhilei once fought, but Wilder's name itself means that this match is more important for Chinese professional boxing than any previous match!

Zhang Zhilei's KO of Wilder not only made his own boxing career turn around, but also created a new development opportunity for Chinese professional boxing!

"Big Bang" Zhang Zhilei, continue to work hard in the next battle!

View original image 108K

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•