“Nowadays, the promotion of boxing in China has increased a lot compared to before,” he explains. “Many young people have paid attention to boxing and professional boxing. Many teenagers like this sport.
In the quarterfinals of the 2012 London Olympics, Zhang lost to Anthony Joshua. A year later, after winning a championship at the National Games of China, Zhang retired from the national team at age 30, laying his jersey in the center of the ring after his final fight. Then it was off to New Jersey, but not before he decided to leave his wife and son in China.
Barney-Smith has been working mostly behind the jab, throwing single shots with his left. They are quality but in this round he begins to put together combinations. Gomez is trying to come in and close that distance, but each time, Barney-Smith catches him with a counter.
El chino es un boxeador de antaño. Comenzó en el deporte tarde. Tenía 20 años y estaba en la universidad. Ser un peso tan grande en China le facilitó el camino, pero había talento detrás. Su país preparó el mejor equipo posible para sus Juegos (2008) y Zhang estuvo presente. Se colgó la medalla de plata. Un hito. Cuatro años después, intentó repetir gesta, pero en Londres se encontró con Anthony Joshua, quien a la postre acabaría siendo campeón olímpico. Dos años después de esa derrota, Zhang decidió dar el salto al campo profesional.
Paul built a significant fan following as a YouTube influencer and turned professional in boxing four years ago. He has won nine of 10 fights with six knockouts against mostly undistinguished opponents. His only loss came last year to Tommy Fury, half-brother of WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury.
The 40-year-old Zhang, who weighed 291 lbs last Thursday, dropped Parker in rounds three and eight but failed to do much in any of the other rounds. He looked tired, which allowed Parker to get the better of the action.
No one wants to see him fight a 30-year younger opponent. The fans are already questioning Tyson’s decision to accept the fight and consider it disrespectful to sports, which made him a household name and cemented his legacy in history. And what happens if he drops the fight? What’s worse? A 57-year-old Tyson gets hammered by a 27-year-old Paul.
Good combo from Zinad who mixes levels but Bivol keeps coming at him. Zinad gets backed into the corner and starts to swing to back him off. Bivol keeps coming. Zinad might be getting tired. He came in on short notice and Bivol is controlling him, and now Zinad is content to punch back more and more. Dangerous, but he might have stolen a round for the first time tonight.
Parker forced Zhang to fight in reverse for the first time in the bout’s later rounds. Zhang landed a right hook that touched Parker’s chin late in round ten, though just out of range to maximize impact and end the fight.
Of course, Paul brought up the “Gotcha Hat” tattoo. When his brother Logan fought Floyd Mayweather, Jake stole Mayweather’s hat, leading to a wild brawl. Paul infamously yelled, “gotcha hat” and immediately got a tattoo.
“I want to fight all the best fighters of this era,” he said . “I want to fight everyone, starting with guys like (Martin) Bakole or (Joe) Joyce, or Frank Sanchez, and then Joshua, Wilder, Usyk. I want to fight them all, of course.
As the March 8 showdown approaches, the light heavyweight boxing division division awaits the outcome of Zhang Zhilei’s stamina test against Joseph Parker in Riyadh. Stay tuned for more updates on this career-defining clash.
George saw something different. Back in Jersey, George worked to fine-tune Zhang’s skills. Chin tucked lower. Hands held higher. “At the same time, not change him so much where he doesn’t know how to use his feet,” says George. “Because he’s actually really quick on his feet. But you guys don’t know yet. He has pretty good hand speed, but you guys are actually just noticing now.”
“Talk about a great pairing of nicknames — “The Bronze Bomber” versus “Big Bang” Zhang. This is a fight that demands a knockout ending, and according to the oddsmakers who have Zhang a slight favorite, one has the right to assume they’re most swayed by the difference in punch resistance that favors Zhang as well as Wilder’s dismal performance against common conqueror Joseph Parker, a man Zhang floored twice before losing on points. If Zhang lands his lethal left cross on Wilder’s chin, especially early, there will be no opportunity for Wilder to exploit Zhang’s biggest weakness, stamina. That’s what happened in the Joe Joyce rematch and the pick is that Zhang’s “Big Bang” will be enough to take out the “Bronze Bomber.”
An unusual training technique? Sure, but Zhang is not your usual fighter. Like, what is a two-time Chinese Olympic heavyweight doing in suburban Jersey? For that you have to go to Terry and Tommy Lane, cofounders of Lane Brothers Boxing. In 2009 the Chinese national boxing team began making sporadic trips to the U.S. for training camps. Eventually the Lanes, then small-time promoters in Nevada, began hearing chatter about some of the talent, including Zhang, who punched his way to a silver medal at the ’08 Beijing Games. The Lanes linked up with Dino Duva, a veteran U.S. promoter who had built some relationships in China. Together, the trio formed Dynasty Boxing, negotiating with the Chinese government to turn a handful of fighters pro, including Zhang, and bring them to the United States. Duva, the former president of Main Events, was based in New Jersey. So, in ’14, Zhang went there.
