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Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker to fight on Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou undercard as March date confirmed

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Joseph Parker

Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker will do battle for the interim WBO heavyweight title at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena on Friday, March 8; Zhang claimed and retained the interim crown in wins over Joe Joyce, while Parker vaulted himself back into contention by beating Deontay Wilder last month

Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker will fight for the interim WBO title on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s showdown with Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.

A bout between Zhang and Deontay Wilder had previously been discussed, but the Chinese heavyweight contender will now take on Parker in Riyadh on Friday, March 8.

The New Zealander vaulted himself back into title contention with a dominant unanimous decision win over Wilder at the Kingdom Arena in December.

Former WBO heavyweight champion Parker now faces the interim title-holder Zhang, who is coming off back-to-back stoppage wins over Joe Joyce in April and September last year, and has amassed a 26-1-1 (21) record since turning professional in August 2014.

The first of those victories against British heavyweight Joyce saw Zhang, 40, claim the interim WBO title. The full version is currently held by Oleksandr Usyk, who faces Tyson Fury in a bout for undisputed status in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 17.

Parker, meanwhile, fought four times in 2023 and notched up victories in all of those to put an 11th-round KO by Joyce in September 2022 behind him.

The 31-year-old’s record now stands at 34-3 (23) and his promoter, David Higgins, told Sky Sports last month he believes Parker has silenced the critics following that upset win over the hard-punching Wilder.

“For me, it was the best performance of Joseph’s career,” Higgins said.

“The reason I say that is because those massive, global, pay-per-view fights have a special pressure about them, the eyes of the world are upon you and against his opponent, a murderous puncher, one of the most feared in history, you can’t really describe what that pressure is like until you’ve been in that situation.

“A couple of times he came up short [in his career], but this time he maintained a cool head, was patient, showed intent, stuck to the fight plan, withstood the pressure. He didn’t just win but dominated Wilder.

“His doubters and the people writing him off, he’s certainly shut that crowd up. In New Zealand, the leading newspapers said he is back, and he’s got another run at a world title.”

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BOXING

Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang eyed for stunning Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou undercard

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Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder

Deontay Wilder reportedly could fight Zhilei Zhang on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou.

It has now been confirmed that AJ will face the former UFC heavyweight champion next in Saudi Arabia, with the date said to be March 8.

The fight has been signed as part of Riyadh Season under the stewardship of Saudi’s GEA (General Entertainment Authority) chairman His Excellency Turki Alalshikh.

He previously staged Tyson Fury vs Ngannou in October and AJ’s clash with Otto Wallin which shared a card with Wilder in December.

It’s known that the plan was for Joshua and Wilder to meet in March, however the American’s defeat to Joseph Parker scuppered this possibility.

As a result, a deal has now been agreed for AJ to fight Ngannou instead.

All is not lost for Wilder though, as he may well return to the ring in a big fight sooner than many expected.

According to American journalists Chris Mannix and Dan Rafael, Wilder could fight Zhilei Zhang on the undercard of Joshua vs Ngannou on March 8.

Both men report that Zhang is expected to box on the show, as is Wilder – it’s possible that they could fight each other or return in separate bouts.

Either way, it’s clear that a stacked undercard is in the works for March 8, as has been the case for previous Riyadh Season events.

Zhang currently holds the WBO ‘interim’ belt, making him the second-in-line mandatory challenger for the winner of Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk on February 17.

The Chinese power puncher won this position by twice stopping Joe Joyce in London last year.

He will now be seen as a very stern test for Wilder if this fight does indeed materialise.

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BOXING

“Let’s get it” – Zhilei Zhang sends Anthony Joshua a message amid talk of March fight

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Anthony Joshua

Zhilei Zhang believes he’s the perfect opponent for Anthony Joshua’s next fight.

‘AJ’ returned to the ring in Saudi Arabia last month on DAZN pay-per-view. There, he dominated former title challenger Otto Wallin, winning by fifth-round stoppage. While it was a big night for Joshua, he likely fought with conflicting feelings.

anthony joshua

In the co-main event, Deontay Wilder suffered a lopsided decision defeat at the hands of Joseph Parker. In the process, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ blew up a scheduled March 9 date with Joshua. Despite hopes that the contest would proceed irrespective of the loss, Eddie Hearn confirmed it was off this week.

Along with that, he revealed that Joshua would still return in March. In a recent interview, the promoter stated that the British boxer would meet one of three men next. Those potential opponents are Filip Hrgovic, Francis Ngannou, and Zhang.

‘Big Bang’ discussed the potential fight with Joshua in a recent interview with FightHype. There, he explained that he was the perfect opponent, given his wide appeal across the globe.

In the interview, Zhang stated through an interpreter.

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BOXING

Zhilei Zhang on Facing Tyson Fury: When My Punches Land, It Will Be a Disaster For Him

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Tyson Fury

Top heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang does not view Tyson Fury as a big favorite in the upcoming undisputed showdown with Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury and Usyk will collide on February 17 in Saudi Arabia, with the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO, WBC world titles at stake.

Last month, Fury barely overcame a crossover boxing match with MMA veteran Francis Ngannou, who was making his professional debut.

Fury was dropped in the third round and had trouble with Ngannou’s style. After ten rounds, Fury walked away with a razor-close ten round split decision.

Tyson Fury

Zhang is not overly fixated on Fury’s struggles in that fight.

What bothers him most is Fury’s claim that he trained very hard to prepare for Ngannou.

If Fury actually trained as hard as he claims, then Zhang expects him to have a lot of problems when he steps in the ring with Usyk.

“I think it is simple, Fury didn’t train for this fight [against Ngannou],” Zhang told Metro.co.uk. “To be honest with you, he is not the version we are used to seeing.

“I can see his mindset is not in boxing at the moment, he is doing commercial things, he is doing PR, marketing, different things, but not boxing. And in this business, you can’t really fool yourself. You can’t fool training.

“After the fight [against Ngannou] in his press conference and interviews he said he had a good training camp for that fight. If that is the case, he has a very big problem going into the Usyk fight.”

Zhang, who is currently the WBO’s mandatory challenger, would like to see Fury come out on top so they can finally go through with their fight.

Earlier this year, Fury and Zhang were close to a deal – but their discussions fell apart when Joe Joyce exercised an immediate rematch clause to force a second meeting with Zhang.

The Chinese giant believes his power will do a lot of damage on Fury.

“If you look at his career, he’s got hit, he’s got dropped, and my punches are not a joke,” Zhang told the Town Bizznizz sports and ent YouTube channel.

“When my punches land, it’s going to be a disaster for him.”

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