Though Joe Joyce conqueror Zhilei Zhang may have to fight Joyce in a rematch, as per the rematch clause that was in place going into last night’s fight that saw “Big Bang” derail “The Juggernaut” via 6th round TKO – 39 year old Zhang, now a major player on the heavyweight world stage, wants one man and one man only next. That man is Tyson Fury.
Speaking after his upset win last night (Zhang being listed as a whopping, great 10:1 underdog in some places) Zhang spoke with both Boxing Social and IFL TV, and he is sure he will KO Fury if he gets the fight with him.
“Tyson Fury in China,” Zhang said when asked what and who he wants next. “I wasn’t 100 percent targetting Joe’s eye. I was targetting his chin. I wanted to test his chin, but it went to his eye, so that’s what happened. Fury, he doesn’t have that chin. He will go down.”
A Fury-Zhang fight, in China or any other place, is a fascinating prospect. Fury, who likes to turn southpaw himself during fights, would be going in with a man who is almost as big as himself, who can really punch, and who has a solid chin. But will Fury like the idea of this fight? Zhang crashed into the big picture with last night’s win, and it seems the former Olympian will be rewarded with a big fight soon as a result.
There are a number of most intriguing fights Zhang could be involved in going forward. How about Zhang Vs. Anthony Joshua (in what would be a rematch of their Olympic fight, with AJ winning a decision back then)? Or Zhang Vs. Deontay Wilder? Or Zhang Vs. Oleksandr Usyk? Usyk will likely be pretty busy with his mandatory obligations over the next few months, and as far as Fury, Wilder and AJ go, there is that ongoing rumour of them all fighting, along with Usyk, in a four-man tournament in the Middle East this December.
But Zhang has crashed the party and he must be given a big-fight chance soon. We saw again last night how no man can ever be written off at heavyweight, how anything can happen when two big guys fight.
