Zhilei Zhang Stats
From Shiapedia
Following Zhang's victory, reports stated that a bout between himself and Tyson Fury were being discussed. On 29 June an immediate rematch was announced for 23 September at Wembley Arena in London, England for the same title. Tyson Fury took to social media to offer Joyce sparring following the announcement.
Deontay Wilder se rapproche de son combat contre zhilei zhang china Zhang la semaine prochaine avec confiance après avoir profité d’un bon camp d'entrainement. Le boxeur américain, ancien champion du monde, se battra pour sauver sa carrière après avoir perdu face à Joseph Parker à la fin de l'année dernière. Face à…
Participó en dos Juegos Olímpicos de Verano, obteniendo una medalla de plata en Pekín 2008, en el peso superpesado, y el quinto lugar en Atenas 2004, en el mismo peso. Ganó dos medallas de bronce en el Campeonato Mundial de Boxeo Aficionado, en los años 2007 y 2009.
Filip's first sport was basketball at age 8, which he took up as a means to lose weight. He even managed to win the national championship with his club Dubrava but was forced to retire due to back and knee injuries. He then took up swimming, which would also last only a short period of time.
It’s a fight that Zhang’s team have been publicly calling for since 2021, and they’ve perhaps had their sights set on it for even longer. When asked if that’s because he sees something he can exploit in the British fighter, he says yes.
Since his debut, Zhilei has worked hard to improve his skills, even though he embarked on professional boxing in his early 30s. It's worth mentioning that his current record and gradual ascension towards greater achievements have drawn attention from people worldwide, especially those in his homeland, China, where he has become a national treasure.
"I’m just disappointed with my performance," Joyce told BT Sport after what was his 16th pro fight. "The right hand he kept hitting me with. I couldn’t get out of the way, so respect to Zhilei Zhang, ‘Big Bang’. I haven’t fought a southpaw for so long. … I expected to win like I normally do.
Zhang lands a nice little probing right hook, but the real story is Wilder. He looks like a shell of the former champion that he was. He seems to have had his heart broken and looks like a defeated man.
This victory solidified Zhang's position as the leading contender in the WBO, with a potential clash against Usyk on the horizon. Usyk, aged 36, is expected to defend his belts against IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic 16-0, (13 KOs) next, but negotiations for a showdown with WBC champion Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) appear to be ongoing. Zhang is now solidly within the Top 4 Heavyweights in the world and his profile in China is skyrocketing.
Round five was Joyce's best, as he belatedly upped his work rate and put punches together. But round six began with a lengthy check over from the doctor. Sensing the clock was ticking on his undefeated record, Joyce looked to open up, but that left him exposed to punches that he couldn't see and that he'd failed to avoid even when he could. After a second examination, the upset was confirmed and shrill gasps filled the evening air.
Zhilei Zhang (Chinese: 张志磊; pinyin: Zhāng Zhìlěi; born May 2, 1983) is a Chinese professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) interim heavyweight title between 2023 and March 2024. As of June 2024, Zhang is ranked as the world's fifth-best active heavyweight by The Ring magazine.
"We went through the whole list, a lot of fighters didn't want to fight with me and I'm glad that we found one who wants that," said Hrgovic in his press conference. "Thanks to Zhang and his team, I think we'll make a great fight.
He took third place at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Chicago, thus qualifying for boxing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won a silver medal. His fight was the last event of the 2008 Olympics. His coaches were disappointed he missed the publicity that would have accompanied the final gold medal for China. Despite that, he attracted a lot of attention by being the first Asian to win an Olympic medal in the unlimited weight class. At the 2012 Olympics, he was defeated on points in the quarterfinal by Anthony Joshua, the future unified heavyweight world champion.
As challenger, Joyce walked to the ring first. His music began with Jeff Buckley's 'Hallelujah' and soon turned into a vastly different vibe - a rap song with the chorus "You don't want to war with big Juggernaut".
In 2020, while Zhang made a rare visit back home the day after Chinese New Year, his father died of a sudden cardiac arrest at home during COVID-19 lockdown in China. Zhang mistakenly believed his father to be choking and attempted the Heimlich maneuver to no avail.
Zhang first met Kurt Li (李茂沛), his English translator (2012–) and his co-manager (2021–) when Li was a staff member handling application forms at the Department of Sports in the 2000s. Zhang asked Li for an application form and Li, a Sichuan Mandarin speaker, did not understand him.
