In terms of age, Zhilei Zhang is up there. The now 40-year-old knew that time wasn’t on his side and following a highly controversial loss at the hands of Filip Hrgovic late last year, it appeared as though he would spend the rest of his time in boxing’s purgatory.
The Chinese native seemed destined to begin life as a stepping stone, a mercenary if you will. Joe Joyce, a former highly ranked contender, gave the 40-year-old a call. He just finished wrapping up a highlight-worthy win over Joseph Parker and needed at least one more solid victory before putting himself in the mix.
Zhang took Joyce up on his brazen offer and proceeded to issue back-to-back beatings on the former Olympic silver medalist. Still, even with the biggest wins of his career in his back pocket, Zhang is on the outside looking in.
The goal for Zhang is to eventually wrap a world title around his waist, but with Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury contractually bonded to one another for at least the next two fights, Zhang will have to keep himself busy in the meantime.
Essentially, considering his position, Zhang could choose just about anyone. So who would the surging contender love to get his hands on to solidify his ranking?
“Anthony Joshua,” said Zhang during a recent interview with BoxingScene.com.
Unfortunately for Zhang, Joshua’s a bit busy at the moment. The former two-time unified champ returns on December 23rd, in showdown against Otto Wallin.
Zhang isn’t exactly sure who will win but he does plan on pulling his chair close to his television set to watch the fireworks. Secretly, Zhang is crossing his fingers and hoping that the division’s cash cow nabs the win. If he does, Zhang could get what he’s looking for and face Joshua next. As for how that hypothetical matchup would play out, Zhang gave a succinct answer.
“I’ll put him to sleep.”
Provided Joshua wins, he would move ahead with a planned bout against former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in the first quarter of 2024. Wilder would of course have to win his own fight, with Joseph Parker, which is the co-featured attraction to the Joshua-Wallin clash.