Zhilei Zhang vs. Deontay Wilder - Tony Bellew struggles to make a prediction in his exclusive column

Both are entering this fight after being on the receiving end of a loss to Joseph Parker and there’s huge pressure going into a fight knowing you need to win. I had it several times in my career, most notably against Mateusz Masternak, and knowing that a major fight can go away from you if you fail to win can be a horrible feeling. 

For me, I had to dig deep because I knew that Junior Makabu at Goodison Park was waiting for me and having that incentive made me give it everything. For Wilder and Zhang, only one can realistically push on and I think they both know that it’s a long way back to the big fights if they come home from Saudi Arabia with a defeat. 

If this fight happened one year ago then I’d have gone for Wilder but since the Parker loss, I don’t know what he has left. This is a man who has put everything into his career, and he’s come out the trilogy with Tyson Fury with so many miles on his clock but also a lot of money in his bank. Can he get himself up for a fight like this as he failed to do so against Parker? 

Zhang looked like he was heading straight to the titles with two impressive knockouts over Joe Joyce, but he was also brought down to Earth by Parker. He’s gone about his work in a quieter manner than Wilder, but at his best, he’s a very dangerous man with a huge left hand. 

With a gun to my head, I’m going to say Zhang but ask me tomorrow or the next day and it could well be Wilder. Both are massive punchers with Wilder’s right hand more explosive than Zhang’s left, but after watching them both against Parker, I genuinely don’t know what’s going to happen. 

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