Are mainstream heavyweights scared of China’s Zheilei Zhang?

Zheilei Zhang’s emphatic win streak in the heavyweight division of boxing has made him a big fish, setting him in the top five beside younger men. The 40-year-old is out to give younger men what some could call ‘old-school walloping’.

Zhang recently defeated then-undefeated Joe Joyce twice and is calling out to former unified heavyweight champion, Britain’s Anthony Joshua, for a boxing contest.

The Chinaman became the WBO heavyweight mandatory challenger after his undisputed beating of Joe Joyce, but the belt is presently in the watchful care of Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, who won it, and other belts from Anthony Joshua, who lost his unified title.

On the way to Zhang’s direct challenge of heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is the coming bout between Usyk and WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who are going to compete for the world undisputed heavyweight title.

Whoever emerges victorious from the bout (which will take place next year, according to Fury’s promoter Frank Warren), will have to defend the IBF title against Filip Hrgovic before any rematch with the would-be defeated. This is because the Usyk-Fury contract includes a rematch clause that can only be activated by the defeated opponent.

So, as things stand, Zheilei Zhang (called the ‘Big Bang’) will have to wait for long before getting a shot at the WBO title.

‘Right now, we’re still looking to see what happens with the unification, because the unification overrides everything,’ announced Zhang. ‘We’re still looking to see what happens with that. But with that done, and it’s out of the way then definitely I will exercise my mandatory challenger position.’

Zheilei Zhang is also hungry for Anthony Joshua’s position.

‘You heard Anthony saying there are options out there, but is he serious?’ asked Zhang. ‘Send the contract over and if everything looks good I’ll sign it right away.’

The Chinese also made it clear that he and his team are only prepared to talk business with the best in the heavyweight division of the sport.

‘The options are open and still out there. But for me and my team, we’re looking at the top names. We’re looking at Fury, Usyk, Joshua, Wilder,’ Zhang counted out.

He went further to say, ‘However, if those guys don’t want to accept my challenge or run away from me, that’s a different story. Then we go to boxers like Parker, Ortiz, Chisora, Dubois.’

Nobody seems to be replying to the Asian’s message among the heavyweights, but it is unclear how long that will last.

A-decade-above-middle-aged Zhang alleges he is not scared of fighting anyone.

‘Everything is possible, I’m not scared of fighting anyone. My target right now is for the bigger names.’

 

 

 

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