The Lanes agree. They see Zhang leading a new generation. “We always thought he could be the Yao Ming of boxing,” says Tommy. Under Armour signed on as a sponsor, and Baijiu, a popular Chinese liquor, could join them. Businesspeople in the country have expressed an interest in bringing a title fight to the mainland—the Bird’s Nest, Beijing’s 91,000-seat stadium, is the dream—and the Lanes have been looking for young Chinese fighters to fill Zhang’s undercards.
What followed was a mix of success (11 straight wins from September 2016 to November ’20) and setbacks (a draw against Jerry Forrest in ’21, a narrow-decision defeat to Filip Hrgović in ’22). Last April, Zhang was tapped to face Joyce. It was a showcase fight for Joyce, the ’16 Olympic silver medalist who was next in line for a title shot and box considered un-knock-out-able. Considered. Zhang, an 11-to-1 underdog, battered Joyce over six rounds until the referee mercifully stopped the fight. In the rematch five months later—a bout Zhang admonished Joyce’s handlers not to take—he needed just three rounds to put Joyce on the canvas.
The short answer to what a heavyweight boxer eats is, well, everything. Steak, chicken, different kinds of fish. During a recent visit to Jiang Nan, a Chinese-fusion joint Zhang frequents in Montclair, N.J., a plate filled with flat, oval-shaped meat arrives at the table. George slides a piece between a pair of chopsticks and asks Zhang to identify it. He always asks. In China, George was often offered food he couldn’t identify. Horse. Bull penis. Snake blood. “Cow tongue,” says Zhang. The chopsticks drop. “Nope,” says George. “Not eating that.”
Legendary heavyweight world champion “Iron” Mike Tyson was one of the most feared fighters in boxing history. In Tyson’s prime, he was an absolute beast in the ring, a knockout artist chaining electric finishing performances together like a freight train mowing down his opponents. Fighters cowered at the sight of him, and were mentally defeated before the first punch was ever thrown.
With the win Hrgovic extended his unbeaten record to 15-0 (12 KOs) as one of the self-proclaimed ‘most avoided’ heavyweights in the division, while the result marked the first defeat of 39-year-old Zhang’s career.
From afar, George had cringed at how Zhang was being developed. There was no plan, he says. No visible signs of improvement. The only objective seemed to be to lard Zhang’s record with enough warm bodies until one of the top heavyweights would pay a premium to face him. “Do you remember Nikolai Valuev?” asks George, referencing the 7-foot Russian who briefly held a heavyweight title. “That’s how everyone was looking at Zhilei. Like a gimmick.”
WBO interim heavyweight champion Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) looked his age tonight, losing a 12-round majority decision to former WBO champion Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Zhang scored two knockdowns, but couldn’t follow up due to his conditioning.
16. “It’s good to be successful and have financial status but if you’re only gonna live for the money, you’re only gonna reach a certain status and I’m in there for greatness and peace of mind.” – Mike Tyson
Two months after his victory over Kartozia, Hrgović was scheduled to fight Rydell Booker for the vacant IBF International Heavyweight title o November 7, 2020, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, in Hollywood, Florida, in his return to the United States. Hrgović entered the bout as a -10000 betting favorite, while most odds-makers had Booker at +1400. He justified his role as the betting favorite, stopping Booker with a flurry of punches in the fifth round.
Nel seguente incontro Zhang sconfigge l’inglese Joe Joyce al 6º round per KO Tecnico, dopo che Joyce ha subito un brutto gonfiore all’occhio destro. Il 23 settembre 2023 si verifica il rematch tra i due, un Joyce più lento e più pesante di 11 kg rispetto al primo incontro viene sconfitto nuovamente da Zhang dopo essere stato colpito da un gancio destro al mento.
Many people associate Tyson with this particular tattoo. The image is a battle pattern of the New Zealand Maori warriors who wanted to scare their opponents in battle. It consists of two parts, remotely resembling bone daggers, and means strength and aggression.
The early years in the U.S. were chaotic. Zhang’s pro debut, says Tommy Lane, “was a disaster.” The original opponent fell out a week before the bout. His replacement went down nine seconds into the first round. The Lanes and Duva clashed over how to best develop their fighter. Duva wanted to make him into a big puncher whose power would be his draw. “Dino saw Zhang as a Chinese Primo Carnera,” says Terry. Duva insists he believed in Zhang but understood a fighter so new to the pro style needed to be brought along slowly.
2024年6月1日、サウジアラビア・リヤドのキングダム・アリーナで、マッチルーム・スポーツとクイーンズベリー・プロモーションズによる5対5の対抗戦の大将戦としてデオンテイ・ワイルダーと対戦し、5回1分51秒KO勝ちを収めた。本来はアルツール・ベテルビエフ対ディミトリー・ビボルの世界ライトヘビー級4団体王座統一戦の前座として行われる予定だったが、ベテルビエフの負傷で統一戦が延期されたためメインイベントに繰り上げられて行われた。