Zhilei Zhang believes young Briton will be the heavyweight hope of the future
Zhilei Zhang (26-1-1, 21KO) is currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he will fight Joseph Parker (34-3, 23KO) on Friday, March 8, for the Chinese southpaw’s WBO Interim heavyweight title that he took off Joe Joyce last year.
The heavyweights will clash over 12 championship rounds on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou.
When asked to play a word association game as part of an interview with Queensberry Promotions, he picked Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19KO) to be the future of heavyweight boxing.
He nodded his head in approval and appreciation when presented with the name Daniel Dubois, to which he praised, “He is the future.”
Despite close to seven years boxing as a pro, 22 bouts, a plethora of professional titles including the WBA Regular, a couple of defeats and surgery setbacks, the Greenwich powerhouse is still just 26-years-old.
The Londoner has always been highly-touted ever since the stories of him dropping AJ in sparring spread whilst he was still a teenage amateur.
Although he hasn’t fought so far this year – his last fight resulting in an heroic stoppage win over disgraced drug cheat Jarrell Miller in December – the Brit has already named his hit list for 2024, which had AJ right at the top.
Here’s what Zhang had to say about his other heavyweight rivals:
Anthony Joshua: “Business man”
Tyson Fury: “Talk man”
Deontay Wilder: “Before I would say ‘dangerous’, now I say retirement”
Francis Ngannou: “Prospect”
Joe Joyce: “Gentleman”
Oleksandr Usyk: “Skill master”
Joseph Parker: “Little sheep”
Zhang vs Parker will be broadcast live on DAZN PPV and Sky Sports Box Office.
40-year-old ‘Big Bang’ Zhang is arguably China’s most decorated amateur boxer, winning Olympic silver, two World Championships bronze, as well as a multitude of national and Asian medals.
In London 2012, it was the headliner Anthony Joshua who thwarted his chances of upgrading his previous silver medal to gold, when he was defeated on points by AJ in the quarter-finals.
Zhang resides in Bloomfield, New Jersey, America, where he trains with Shaun George. An unknown fact about Zhang is that he has already beaten Parker in the amateurs, in the 2011 World Championships in Baku. Zhang outpointed the New Zealander 15-7, but failed to medal that year.
Find out more interesting facts about ‘Big Bang Zhang HERE