Sources – Wilder-Zhang, Dubois-Hrgovic bouts shut for June 1

Two heavyweight clashes between 4 top-10 contenders are almost accomplished offers.

Laborious-hitting Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, No. 7 and No. 6 respectively in ESPN’s heavyweight rankings, are within the strategy of finalizing a deal for a June 1 bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources informed ESPN.

Moreover, Filip Hrgovic, ranked No. 5, and No. 9 Daniel Dubois are additionally finalizing a deal to sq. off that night, sources added.

The 2 heavyweight bouts are scheduled to happen on the undercard of the extremely anticipated showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed gentle heavyweight championship.

Wilder and Zhang will each enter the ring in determined pursuit of a victory to stay related in boxing’s glamour division. Each fighters are reeling from choice losses to Joseph Parker in Riyadh. The previous heavyweight titleholder pulled off a significant upset in December with a large factors win over the American that spoiled plans for a long-awaited matchup between Anthony Joshua and Wilder.

Joshua went on to brutally knock out Francis Ngannou as a substitute, and on that undercard earlier this month, Parker scored one other upset with a choice win over Zhang, who floored Parker twice within the bout however was in any other case outboxed.

Fairly than take the same old boxing journey of comeback bouts, Wilder and Zhang will now head right into a high-stakes bout that may place the winner for one more marquee heavyweight bout. Two weeks earlier, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will vie for the undisputed heavyweight championship on Might 18 in Riyadh.

Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) is likely one of the division’s all-time greatest punchers. However the fighter from Alabama has misplaced three of his previous 4 bouts. Two of these losses got here within the championship trilogy with Fury. Fury scored a seventh-round TKO within the 2020 rematch after which an Eleventh-round knockout the following 12 months that was named ESPN’s Struggle of the Yr and KO of the Yr.

Wilder is a former heavyweight champion who dropped Fury 4 instances throughout three fights. He is 38, and though an inch taller than Zhang, figures to concede near 80 kilos to the a lot heavier Zhang. Wilder weighed 213 kilos within the loss to Parker.

Zhang, who can be 41 on combat evening, is a southpaw puncher who’s gentle on his ft contemplating his monumental dimension. The fighter from China is 6-foot-6 and weighed 291.5 kilos within the loss to Parker.

Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) broke out final 12 months with a pair of stoppage victories over Joe Joyce.

Hrgovic’s greatest victory stays the win over Zhang, wherein he survived a knockdown within the opening spherical to prevail by way of controversial unanimous choice.

Croatia’s Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) has competed twice since that August 2022 combat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The 31-year-old scored a Twelfth-round TKO of Demsey McKean in August and adopted up with a first-round TKO win vs. the overmatched Mark De Mori in December on the identical undercard as Parker-Wilder.

England’s Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) additionally competed on that undercard, a Tenth-round TKO victory over Jarrell Miller that stands because the 26-year-old’s greatest win but.

The combat was Dubois’ first since August, when he suffered a ninth-round KO loss to Usyk in a bid for the unified heavyweight championship in Wroclaw, Poland.

Dubois’ different skilled loss got here in 2020, a Tenth-round KO defeat to Joyce.