‘Big Bang’ KOs the Bronze Bomber in the Heavyweight Finale of a Splendid Card in Saudi Arabia

‘Big Bang’ KOs the Bronze Bomber in the Heavyweight Finale of a Splendid Card in Saudi Arabia

Two big heavyweight fights were the pillars of tonight’s show in Riyadh that showcased five boxers each from the stables of powerful promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn. It was after three in the morning local time when Chinese behemoth Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang brought the curtain down with a brutal fifth-round knockout of the Bronze Bomber, Deontay Wilder.

The first four rounds were humdrum. In the fifth, Wilder came out of his shell and landed some big punches. But a counter right from Zhang spun him completely around and left him wide open for another right hand. Seizing the moment, Zhang crashed home a big right on the exposed jaw of Wilder and the Alabaman went down in a heap. Had Wilder won, he would have purportedly secured a September date with Anthony Joshua in Wembley Stadium. But this was his fourth defeat in his last five bouts and, now 38 years old, it is assumed that he will retire. If so, he leaves the sport with a record of 43-4-1 with 42 KOs, and will always be remembered for his howitzer of a right hand.

Zhang, a giant by Chinese standards (six-foot-six and 282 pounds) is 41 years old but can look forward to a few more lucrative paydays. A two-time Olympian, he will bring a record of 27-2-1 (22 KOs) into his next engagement.

Co-Feature: Dubois vs Hrgovic

In his best showing since he bombed out former British amateur rival Nathan Gorman five years ago, heavyweight Daniel Dubois scored an eighth-round stoppage of Filip Hrgovic. The slugfest was stopped at the 50-second mark of Round 8 at the advice of the ringside physician with the Croatian bleeding from cuts around both eyes.

Hrgovic, who had an outstanding amateur pedigree and was undefeated (17-0, 14 KOs) heading in, landed the harder punches in the early rounds, but by the mid-point of the fight, Dubois, who improved to 21-2 (20) , was plainly the fresher man. There were no knockdowns, but Hrgovic, a 5/2 favorite, was in dire straits in round seven and one could sense that the end was near for him.

The bout was contested for the interim IBF title which Oleksandr Usyk is expected to vacate.

Bivol vs Zinad

In a stay-busy fight for Dmitry Bivol, the WBA world light heavyweight belt-holder scored a sixth-round stoppage of late sub Malik Zinad, advancing his record to 23-0 (12 KOs). Bivol had Zinad on the canvas with a right-left combination in the opening round, but Zinad, an obscure 30-year-old globetrotter from Libya by way of Malta, had a few good moments until Bivol closed the show in the sixth. A series of unanswered punches, seemingly about a dozen, had Zinad (22-1) in a bad way until the referee intervened.

Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev, for all the marbles at 175, is official for Oct. 12 where it will open a new edition of Riyadh Season.

Sheeraz vs Williams

England’s Hamzah Sheeraz, a six-foot-three middleweight of Pakistani and Indian descent, increased his international profile 100-fold with an 11^th-round stoppage of Houston’s previously undefeated Austin “Ammo” Williams. Sheeraz was buzzed in the second round, but utilized his height and reach advantage to assume control and was widely ahead on the cards at the finish.

Sheeraz knocked Williams to his knees with a chopping right hand in the waning seconds of round 10 and finished the job in the next frame, sending Williams staggering into the ropes with a fusillade of punches, forcing the stoppage. The official time was 0:45 of round 11.

It was the 14^th straight win inside the distance for Sheeraz who entered the ring a 9/4 favorite and improved his ledger to 20-0 (16 KOs). Williams declined to 16-1.

Featherweight Title Fight

The WBA world featherweight title match between Camden, New Jersey’s Raymond Ford and Liverpool’s Nick Ball produced a mild upset and a new title-holder. The relentless Ball, a five-foot-two wrecking ball, emerged victorious by dint of a split decision. All three judges had it 115-113 with two of the arbiters favoring the Liverpudlian.

Both were undefeated heading in. Ford (15-1-1) was defending the title he won with a come-from-behind, 12^th-round stoppage of Otabek Kholmatov. Against Ball, he fell behind early, but had a big seventh round, seemingly breaking Ball’s nose, and it was anyone’s fight heading into the final stanza.

Both boxers fought the final round as if they sensed that the fight was even and, although there were no knockdowns, the final round with its non-stop action was a fitting climax to an excellent fight. The second time was a charm for Ball (16-0-1) who suffered a disputed draw in his previous fight with another featherweight belt-holder, Rey Vargas.

Lid-lifter

The opening bout on the card produced another mild upset when Willy Hutchinson, a 26-year-old Scotsman, scored a 12-round unanimous decision over Craig Richards. A 34-year-old Londoner, Richards (18-4-1) had fought much stiffer competition, and he figured to come on late as Hutchinson had never fought beyond seven rounds. But the Scotsman, who improved to 18-1, repeatedly found a home for his right hand and got a second wind when it appeared that he was running out of gas. The judges had it 116-112, 117-111, and 119-109.

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