Zhilei Zhang surprises Anthony Joshua with some choice words ahead of Francis Ngannou showdown in Saudi
As Anthony Joshua was fulfilling his media duties during the pre-fight interviews, he was very briefly interrupted by rival heavyweight Zhilei Zhang.
Joshua fights Francis Ngannou over 10 heavyweight rounds in the main event of ‘Knockout Chaos’ this Friday, March 8, in Riyadh, while Zhang defends his WBO Interim World title to Joseph Parker in the co-main event.
Joshua and Zhang have met before, during the London 2012 Olympic Games, when the Brit beat him on points in the quarter-finals en route to winning gold.
Now, they have come together again 12 years later to occupy the headlining slots on what is the biggest boxing event of the year so far.
The Chinese powerhouse had just two words for AJ, which was a direct instruction of what to do in the fight with Francis Ngannou, “Kill him!” he demanded.
AJ can be seen sat down about to be interviewed, as Zhang approaches and the pair respectfully bump fists, which is when the WBO Interim champion loudly declared his advice.
Joshua visibly appeared a little taken aback by the unexpected brief outburst, but immediately returned back to his interview.
The exchange was recorded and shared by USA TODAY senior reporter Mike Bohn on Twitter:
Zhilei Zhang gives Anthony Joshua some advice for Francis Ngannou 😳 pic.twitter.com/yFvSMjsGIj
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) March 6, 2024