Challenger Joseph Parker disclosed his game plan for defeating WBO interim heavyweight champion Zhilei Zhang ahead of their co-feature fight next month on March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The former WBO heavyweight champion Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) says he will hit & run all night against the bigger and slower Zhang (26-1, 21 KOs). He believes that’s one key strategy to defeat the two-time Chinese Olympian, who doesn’t have great foot speed due to his 270+ lb frame.
Parker also says he will use combination punching and let his hands go as he did in his recent upset victory over former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder last December.
That win gave the 31-year-old Parker confidence, making him believe he’s improved. Some boxing fans believe the 38-year-old Wilder fought with an abysmal game plan designed by his trainer, Malik Scott, which involved moving nonstop and throwing only occasional punches. With that game plan, Wilder would have lost to anyone in the top 15, no matter how poor.
Parker’s Plan: “Stick and Move”
“Going into this fight, I have a lot better movement than Joe Joyce. I think with Zhang, it’s important to stick and move,” said Joseph Parker to talkSPORT Boxing Youtube forum about his plans for beating WBO interim heavyweight champion Zhilei Zhang on March 8th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“With Zhang, he does tire in a lot of his fights. I’m not counting him tiring. I want the best Zhang, and I want him for 12 rounds. I want to give him my best in this fight. So, stick and move and combinations and letting my hands go,” said Parker on his plan to defeat Zhilei Zhang.
The Rematch Clause
“Yeah, fight Zhang and win, and then fight him again at the end of the year. Then win again, and I’ll be free to fight anyone else. I guess I see where they’re coming from,” said Parker. “They’re trying to protect what Zhang has, and they did the same thing when Zhang fought Joe Joyce.
“So, I have to beat him twice in order to move on and fight for the championship of the world. There’s a lot of people in boxing with egos, and they worry about A-side and B-side and who is going to walk first and who is going to walk second,” said Parker when asked why does Zhang have a rematch clause.
