Zhilei Zhang Enters 2024 as a Fighter with a Broad Horizon
To many, it may sound odd that interim WBO heavyweight Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KO’s) is hitting his professional stride at nearly 41 years old. Yet, this has been the case for the China born southpaw in 2023. In his only two prizefights of the year, the Queensberry Promotions-pushed pugilist battled the tough and rugged Joe Joyce in both contests.
When the two first collided on April 15, 2023, Zhang repeatedly pumped a sturdy straight left hand into Joyce’s face and eye socket. As a result, Joyce’s eye swelled to debilitating proportions and became the reason that the ringside doctor gave the nod to stop the fight. Heading into the duel however, many felt that Joe Joyce was the favorite.
At that point, Joyce was undefeated and riding high on recent knockout victories over Carlson Takam, Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker. Also, more importantly, Joyce was the then WBO interim champ. It was a distinction that he stopped Parker to claim. Thinking that he could mend the errors in his ways and retake his hardware, Joyce staged an immediate rematch with Zhang. His confidence was rewarded with a swifter, more brutal fistic assault that left him splayed out face down, spine up in a third-round knockout.
THE TIDE CONTINUES TO RISE
Currently, Zhang is scheduled to face Joseph Parker, who himself is coming off an upset win over Deontay Wilder, on March 8. Provided that he maintains his winning ways, Zhang is perfectly positioned to face the winner of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury and Usyk are set to clash on February 17, roughly one month ahead of his match with Parker. Therefore, there is a very significant chance that Zhilei Zhang could compete for and become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the division. This is precisely why Zhang is the 3Kings Boxing Fighter to Look Out For in 2024.
