Chinese heavyweight contender Zhang Zhilei said he wanted to fight for boxing’s greatest prize in front of his home fans, as he laid out a path to becoming world No 1.
The 40-year-old southpaw is scheduled to defend his WBO interim champion belt against Joseph Parker in Riyadh next month, and a win could earn him a shot at the likes of Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk.
Originally down to fight on Sunday, a freak training injury Fury suffered last week means the pair’s unification clash, when all five heavyweight belts – WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO – will be on the line, has been rearranged to May 18.
If, as is widely expected, the loser demands a rematch, IBF rules dictate the title be defended immediately. That could open the door to Zhang to fight for the crown.
“This is our plan [to have a world title fight in China] and there are some enterprises in China hoping they can put on this contest and they are slowly carrying it forward,” Zhang told the Post.
“I’ve got a lot of fans in China who are paying a lot of attention to me, and the last time I went home, being greeted by fans, really moved me. They were very enthusiastic,” said Zhang, who was born and raised in Henan Province.
“It would be good to give Chinese boxing fans a feel for a big event and the opportunity to experience a heavyweight title fight.”
Zhang said his team had previously looked into hosting a fight in Beijing, Shanghai or Macau, but it had not been possible because of the Covid-19 restrictions in place at the time.
But, when the opportunity does arise, Zhang said he wanted to fight at home, and flagged “Beijing, Shanghai, Macau or Hong Kong” as potential locations.
First though, the eyes of the world will be on Fury and Usyk in Riyadh, and Zhang is backing the British boxer to come out on top.
“If Fury has a good camp, he will win because he’s got the height and weight advantage, and he’s quite a flexible fighter,” Zhang said. “If they have a rematch, because this is a unification fight, the one who wins will have to give up a belt.”
The current mandatory challenger for the IBF title is Croatian Filip Hrgovic, who handed Zhang his only professional loss after a fight that went 12 rounds and caused speculation the Chinese boxer was ill-suited to longer contests.
“I don’t think about it [people saying I can’t fight for 12 rounds], because at the end of the day, if they really see my performance, in the ring I am the executor,” Zhang said. “Then when it comes to stepping into the ring, I will use my abilities and my strength to prove to everyone exactly what I can do.”
Zhang, who is now based in New Jersey, rose to the rank of interim champion off the back of a bumper year in 2023 where he won two out of two fights.
“I started boxing at the age of 15 – it’s quite late … but it was my dream to become a world-famous boxer like [Mike] Tyson and Mohammed Ali,” he said.
“Now, that dream is getting ever closer and it’s going to be worth it when it does.”
First though, Zhang has to get through Parker on March 8, and he told the New Zealander to get ready because, “we are going to give boxing fans across the world a great match”.