Deontay Wilder is giving up a lot of size in his next fight.
On Friday, Wilder weighed in nearly 70 pounds lighter than upcoming opponent Zhilei Zhang at the official weigh-ins for the main event of Saturday’s Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5 vs. 5 card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Wilder officially weighed in at 214.6 pounds, with Zhang coming in at 282.8 (a difference of 68.2 pounds).
This is not uncommon for Wilder, a power puncher that is frequently at a weight disadvantage. Zhang actually came in lighter than he did for his most recent contest, where he weighed in at 290 pounds. Both boxers are coming off of decision losses to Joseph Parker.
Wilder vs. Zhang headlines the Team Matchroom (Wilder) vs. Team Queensberry (Zhang) portion of the event, which also sees Filip Hrgovic (247.4) take on Daniel Dubois (245.8) and WBA featherweight champion Raymond Ford (125.4) defending against Nick Ball (125.8)
Outside of the 5 vs. 5 tournament, Dmitry Bivol (175) defends his WBA light heavyweight title against late replacement Malik Zinad (174.2). Zinad steps in for Artur Beterbiev, who was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury.
Get Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5 vs. 5 weigh-in results below.
Deontay Wilder (214.6) vs. Zhilei Zhang (282.8)
Filip Hrgovic (247.4) vs. Daniel Dubois (245.8)
Dmitry Bivol (175) vs. Malik Zinad (174.2)
Craig Richards (174.2) vs. Willy Hutchinson (174)
Hamzah Sheeraz (159.6) vs. Austin Williams (159.4)
Raymond Ford (125.4) vs. Nick Ball (125.8)