Deontay Wilder faces a daunting task on Saturday night after being massively outweighed by Chinese puncher Zhilei Zhang.
Wilder scaled 214.6 pounds in Saudi Arabia, with Zhang coming in a whopping 282.8 for their heavyweight collision. “The Bronze Bomber” is at a disadvantage of almost thirty pounds more than when Tyson Fury beat him up and stopped him in their 2020 rematch.
The former WBC champion has to win if he aims to continue his path toward a final title shot. Potential fights with Anthony Joshua and Jared Anderson hang in the balance.
Ahead of his test against Zhang, which is not easy following a loss to Joseph Parker, Wilder said there was a point in his life when he may not have been a boxer.
Speaking to Matchroom Boxing, Wilder explained that his daughter’s illness made him choose a sport to make money.
“She was born with Spina Bifida. Where I come from, we are big on American football and basketball, and that was my goal,” said Wilder. “That is what I was going to college for: to be a professional football or basketball player. When she came along at nineteen years old, and she had special needs, it changed your life. It changes your life, and without her, I definitely wouldn’t have been a fighter, especially not coming from the city and the state where I am from [Alabama]. Because you don’t see those things where I am from.
“Because of having her, I was able to come up with ideas of how I can make money. How can I still be a professional athlete? Boxing came along, and you don’t have to go to school for that unless you go to the school of hard knocks.
“I’m all about that, so I’m joining a gym. I didn’t even know there was a gym where I was from. I walked in and felt like I was at the right place and time; the rest is history.”
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
