Can Deontay Wilder return to winning ways?

You never know what’s going to happen next in boxing. It’s such a popular sport to bet on all over the globe.

Deontay Wilder makes his return on June 1 and it’s a must-win fight for him. Wilder was last seen in the ring when being beaten by Joseph Parker on points. It was a lacklustre performance by the former WBC champion. Now he takes on the dangerous Zhilei Zhang.

Eddie Hearn is promoting Wilder on this occasion. The American will be the captain of Hearn’s Matchroom team as they take on Queensbury in a unique format. Hearn will be hoping to have more dealings with Wilder in the future. Pitting him against Anthony Joshua is still a big fight that could take place one day but Wilder will need to beat Zhang on June 1.

Deontay Wilder has only won one fight since 2019. That was the first-round demolition of Robert Helenius in 2022. Before that, he’d suffered two inside-the-distance losses to Tyson Fury.

By the time he fought Joseph Parker last December, the American had fought for just 177 seconds since October 2021. He really should have had another fight or two before taking on the resurgent Parker who’s since beaten Zhang.

We all know that WIlder has amazing punching power. He could easily be outboxed by Zhang but then land one knockout punch. He’s done that in the past, especially when taking on Luis Ortiz.

Zhang is also on the comeback trail after that loss to Parker in March of this year. He’d beaten Joe Joyce in his past two contests and was the reigning WBO Interim champion. Another loss in June would make it difficult to get another title shot. Like Wilder though, he can win a fight with one devastating punch but has never been stopped.

Also on the June 1 card, Filip Hrgovic takes on Daniel Dubois. This is a final eliminator for the IBF title. That’s a belt that may well become vacant in the near future so this is an important fight for both boxers.

Hrgovic is unbeaten and that includes a controversial points verdict over Zhang in 2022. His last fight was a total mismatch against Mark de Mori that lasted only 106 seconds. This is a far tougher contest for Hrgovic.

Daniel Dubois has two defeats on his professional record. He was beaten by Joe Joyce and then was stopped by Oleksandr Usyk when challenging for the world title. Last time out he ended the unbeaten record of Jarrell Miller and will be aiming to do the same to Hrgovic on June 1.