Filip Hrgovic sort of derailed Zhilei Zhang. Although it was controversial, the heavyweight contender was forced to stomach the first defeat of his career, despite dropping his man in the first round.
Getting down on himself was an option for Zhang but he didn’t see the point. He simply dusted himself off and went back to the drawing board. Instead of taking on a tenuous no-name opponent, Zhang jumped right back into the deep end.
Joe Joyce was on an incredible streak. He held the WBO interim strap and was seemingly just a fight away from fighting for the full title. Zhang was viewed as an innocuous speed bump and a mere blimp on the radar. However, after rocking and stopping Joyce on consecutive occasions, Zhang finds himself in a position of power.
The 40-year-old has spent a ton of his recent time sifting through the heavyweight landscape. Of course, Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) has four names that he would love to share the ring with. That would be Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua, and Hrgovic. But, unfortunately for Zhang, those four fighters are ostensibly entertaining other matchups.
Usyk and Fury have signed a two-fight deal while Joshua and Hrgovic could get it on next. With those names presumably off the table, Joseph Parker is now protruding towards the top of Zhang’s hit list.
His interest in fighting Parker comes from his recent upset win over former champ, Deontay Wilder. Parker may not be his preferred option but for Zhang, he may very well be the next best available opponent he can get his hands on.
“Parker might be a good option,” said Zhang during an interview with BoxingScene.com. “Right now, he’s hot. Everybody is looking at him like he’s really good. If I can’t get any of those guys then Joseph Parker would be a good option.”