Zhilei Zhang wants to rerun the fight back with Joseph Parker
Heavyweight title hopeful, Zhilei Zhang, was the heavyweight division’s most recent victim of a Joseph Parker upset win, losing his WBO interim title and position as mandatory challenger to the Kiwi, although the 40-year-old is eyeing up the rematch, ‘disappointed but not discouraged’.
Parker has strung together five wins since January 2023 and seems to be improving with every fight under the guidance of head trainer and former middleweight world champion, Andy Lee.
Back in December, Parker secured a career-best, whitewash win over the fearsome Deontay Wilder and was up to his old tricks once again this weekend, where he defeated ‘Big Bang’.
Like Wilder, the powerful Zhang was perceived as a heavyweight to avoid amongst the top contenders, but the undeterred Parker continued his rich vein of form with a majority-decision victory, despite suffering two knockdowns.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Zhang’s co-manager, Terry Lane, told Sky Sports that Zhilei and his team are keen to activate their rematch clause, which could result in a homecoming fight.
“I think Zhilei wants the rematch,”
“Styles make fights, and it is very nuanced. Zhang beats Joyce, who lost to Parker? Surely Zhang beats Parker, right? Wrong. A beats B, B beats C, then A beats C? Not in boxing. It’s more of a game of Paper, Rock, Scissors where each beats one and loses the other.“Having said that, Zhilei can make the adjustments, win more rounds and go on to other things.”
“Zhilei is disappointed but not discouraged,”
“Parker’s crouching and holding really threw Zhilei off and he never really found his rhythm.
“According to Zhilei, he never was gassed, but really just felt frozen in the last third of the fight. After round eight, he thought he was up on the cards more than he actually was.”
The victor of Parker-Zhang II will likely challenge for the WBO title next year against the winner of Fury-Usyk, assuming it is not vacated.