Chinese heavyweight Zhang Zhilei eyes Anthony Joshua match-up after Deontay Wilder KO
- Zhang won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but his career has been full of complications
Chinese heavyweight boxer Zhang Zhilei hinted at a fight with Anthony Joshua after his brutal knockout of Deontay Wilder.
The 41-year-old, who won a silver medal in the superheavyweight category at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, made the world of boxing sit up and take notice after clinically ending his bout with the American this month inside the fifth round.
And he believes the nature of his victory has left him in a position where he can choose his next opponent – with Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury only off the table because they have a rematch to their heavyweight unification bout scheduled in.
As well as a potential clash with Joshua, Zhang suggested he could look for a second encounter against former WBO champion Joseph Parker, who he lost to in a majority points decision in January.
“Tyson Fury and Usyk are going to have a rematch in December so the two of them have been excluded,” Zhang told CGTN Sports Scene when asked who his next opponent would be.
“For example, the rematch with Joseph Parker. We have a swap agreement in there. Anthony Joshua is an option. Agit Kabayel is an option. So now I have many choices and I can fight with anyone.”
Zhang’s peak in the sport has been severely delayed because of a number of issues outside the ring which stunted his progress following his Olympics achievement in 2008.
For starters, the first and second promotional companies representing the Chinese boxer both went out of business in 2014 and 2020 respectively, which led to various legal issues.
It was alleged that during that period Zhang was under-promoted and fought too many low-quality opponents, which prevented him from being mentioned in the top bracket of the heavyweight division.
Zhang then suffered from visa issues and was unable to fight because of the US’ travel ban on Chinese citizens following the outbreak of COVID-19.
He suffered his first professional defeat in February 2021 to Jerry Forrest and was subsequently hospitalised with severe health issues including liver dysfunction and severe hydration.
Zhang was eventually given more high-profile bouts and suffered a controversial defeat against Filip Hrgovic on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk-Joshua II in 2022.
Now, however, he is looking at potentially competing with one of the main protagonists from that event and said he hopes his compatriots enjoy success at this year’s Olympics which could then lead to professional careers.
“I hope to tell our Chinese boxers competing in Paris: ‘Just relax your mind, show a good performance. Show the world the Chinese power,’ and wish them good results.”
