Zhilei Zhang stunned the world with a stupendous victory over Joe Joyce. And he did not stop there. Zhang immediately called out Tyson Fury after the fight. Not only that, Zhang promised to knock Fury out if the fight sees the light of day.
The Chinese heavyweight made a statement on April 15. Odds were not in his favor, especially when Joyce had no losses to his name. Beating all the odds, Zhang ensured a sixth-round knockout victory. It was not just about the way victory came for him. Fans were rather stunned by how he brutalized Joyce. Hardly do fans get to see Joyce bruised up in this fashion.
Zhang wants to knock out Tyson Fury
Certainly, this victory has instilled massive confidence in Zhang. In an interview, he admitted that he wanted to take on Fury. He also brought up the final fight of the Wilder Vs Fury trilogy. Despite being one of the hardest contemporary hitters, Wilder could not knock out Fury. Having said that, Zhang believes he has it in him to do what Wilder could not do. He believes that the ‘Gypsy King’ “will go down”. If Fury agrees, Zhang will make him kiss the floor.
The 278 lbs Chinese boxer explained his reasoning for this belief, “Fury doesn’t have that chin, he will go down.” ‘Big Bang’ is now waiting for his team’s green signal. He is adamant about making this fight happen as it seems.
Zhang now boasts a record of only one loss and 25 wins, with one draw to his name. 20 of those wins were the results of knockout. That is a staggering record in pro boxing. Having said that, age is in favor of Fury. Fury is five years younger than Zhang. 37-year-old Joe Joyce weighed 21 lbs less than Zhang in the ring as well. This is why the Chinese boxer will have to wait for his team’s approval of the fight as well.
Then again, Fury is fresh off a controversy about turning down a bug fight. After going back and forth he decided to opt out of a bout against Oleksandr Usyk. Both of them threw shade at each other and kept hurling insults. The bottom line is, they had a dissent on the contract.
Many believed that Fury kept asking for more money despite Usyk meeting him halfway. If the same happens with Zhang, he may not see his dreams accomplished.
Do you think Fury will respond to Zhang?
