Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang, the WBO interim heavyweight champion, revealed today that he plans on putting a lot of pressure on Joseph Parker when they fight on March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) says he wants to “showcase” his talent against former WBO heavyweight champion Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) in their twelve-round chief support bout on the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou card at the Kingdom Arena.
Destroying Parker would be the way for the two-time Olympian ‘Big Bang’ Zhang to showcase himself because the New Zealander is coming off a big win over former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder on December 23rd, and a lot of boxing fans believe he’s improved since his 11th round knockout loss to former Zhang KO victim Joe Joyce in 2022.
Even promoter Eddie Hearn drinks the Kool-Aid, believing Parker should be the favorite in this fight with Zhang. The best way for ‘Big Bang’ Zhang to wake them up from their delusions is to pressure Parker, just as Joyce did, to wear him down and knock him out.
Parker’s Dangerous Potential
“He is dangerous because of his activity. He’s been staying busy all this time. He is dangerous because he’s young, he’s hungry, he’s explosive, and he’s fast,” said Zhilei Zhang to Fighthype, talking about his March 8th opponent, Joseph Parker.
Parker has power, but he doesn’t react well when pressured and hit hard by his opponents. You can argue that the only reason Parker looked good against Wilder is because the Bronze Bomber was moving around the ring, throwing almost no punches. He landed only 39 punches in the entire fight against Parker.
“Me and him never say no to challenges. Some come March 8th; that’s going to be an exciting fight,” said Zhang. “The strong man vs. the Zhang man. Since this fight was announced, I’ve been thinking a lot about Parker. He’s all on my mind now.
Pressure Play: The Big Bang Strategy
“I believe I can see his punches coming before he even throws them, and that’s what kind of impression of have of him right now. I believe on fight date, I’ll put a lot of pressure on him, but now the fight goes. I’m not really sure,” said Zhang.
For Zhang to beat Parker, he needs to attack him relentlessly like Joe Joyce did, and not worry about the punches he’s throwing.
