Zhilei Zhang Defeats Deontay Wilder In Brutal Knockout: 'Final Goodbye To Wilder?'

China's Zhilei Zhang, 41, scored the biggest win of his career Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, against American Deontay Wilder, 38, during a unique 5 vs. 5 team boxing concept created by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.

Zhang(27-2-1, 21 KOs) in Round 5, began to unload his best weapon. Wilder(43-4-1, 42 KOs) had just scored with a chopping right hand when he threw yet another right that was countered by the Chinese for the finish.

With Wilder defenseless, Zhang sprinted in and smashed him with another right hand that planted the American hard on the canvas. The 38-year-old managed to stand on his feet before the count of 10, but his legs were unsteady and the referee wisely waved off the fight at 1:51 of Round 5.

Both fighters appeared to be in different weight classes Saturday, with Zhang at 282.8 compared to Wilder's 214.6. There is no weight limit in boxing's heavyweight division. The Chinese was able to bully Wilder and smother him on the ropes, connecting with right hooks that scored time and again as the American cocked his vaunted right hand back but rarely let it go.

"I blocked a few punches, but hell yeah, he punches hard," Zhang, speaking through an interpreter, said of Wilder, who is regarded as one of the most powerful punchers in heavyweight history. "I give him a lot of respect. He's a heavy puncher. ... I successfully took his right hand away."

This victory must be a soothing one for the Chinese who was reeling from a decision defeat to Parker, the former heavyweight titleholder. Zhang floored Parker twice in March but still lost on the cards.

Wilder on his part, has lost four of his past five fights, including a decision defeat to Joseph Parker in December along with a pair of losses to Tyson Fury in their heavyweight championship trilogy.

The American said before Saturday's fight that if he lost, "this could be the final goodbye, the farewell of Deontay Wilder."

WATCH Zhang vs. Wilder fight highlight