Towering Chinese southpaw Zhilei Zhang was last seen struggling to breathe in the middle of the ring, this after he had been knocked down by a brutal Agit Kabayel body attack. Zhang was stopped in the sixth round in February and his career seemed to be in tatters.
Zhang says 42 is “a new beginning”—but who’s buying that?
But now, “Big Bang” has stated that he is far from done, that for him “age is a number.” Zhang, who is now 42 years of age, put out a video on his YouTube channel, and the heavyweight contender said he will soon embark on a “new chapter” of his ring career.
“I held myself together with fists to the canvas, trying to get up,” Zhang said of the ending to the Kabayel fight. “I felt the breathless agony. It was a breath-stolen moment. Although there were some regrets and disappointment after the fight, since I dropped him in the fifth and let that slide. He messed up my rhythm since the fourth. His body shots affected the way I breathed and my whole strategy went south. But I also gave him the first knockdown of his career. We had practised again and again in camp how to deal with body shots, but his output was so high. 42 is not the end. It is the beginning of a new chapter. I still have not lowered my fist……..I was 31 when I turned pro, a typical age to consider retirement for most Chinese boxers. Age is a number to me. I still have what it takes to perform at a high level. My body is doing well. I hope to fight by the end of this year.”
Still dangerous—but the blueprint is out
It’s admirable, Zhang’s attitude here, but at the same time it could prove to be a tough road back for him. Zhang, by fighting on, will not only be tackling Father Time, he also knows that all potential opponents know how to beat him now – by attacking his large body. And body shots can be the hardest punches to avoid, especially if the fighter trying to make the body shots miss is a big guy.
Zhang, 27-3-1(22) has only lost to top fighters – Filip Hrgovic (in a fight that could have been scored to him in the opinion of some people), Joseph Parker, and Kabayel – and we all know he carries real power. If matched right, maybe Zhang can get a couple of good wins under his belt. But as for Zhang ever reaching the very top of the division, that looks like a tall order. One fight I’d still love to see, however, is one between Zhang and Anthony Joshua. That’s a fight that would entertain, no matter who won.