"Let's get it" - Zhilei Zhang sends Anthony Joshua a message amid talk of March fight
Zhilei Zhang believes he's the perfect opponent for Anthony Joshua's next fight.
'AJ' returned to the ring in Saudi Arabia last month on DAZN pay-per-view. There, he dominated former title challenger Otto Wallin, winning by fifth-round stoppage. While it was a big night for Joshua, he likely fought with conflicting feelings.
In the co-main event, Deontay Wilder suffered a lopsided decision defeat at the hands of Joseph Parker. In the process, 'The Bronze Bomber' blew up a scheduled March 9 date with Joshua. Despite hopes that the contest would proceed irrespective of the loss, Eddie Hearn confirmed it was off this week.
Along with that, he revealed that Joshua would still return in March. In a recent interview, the promoter stated that the British boxer would meet one of three men next. Those potential opponents are Filip Hrgovic, Francis Ngannou, and Zhang.
'Big Bang' discussed the potential fight with Joshua in a recent interview with FightHype. There, he explained that he was the perfect opponent, given his wide appeal across the globe.
In the interview, Zhang stated through an interpreter:
"If he comes to me, all of England will be watching. All of China will be watching, the whole Middle East, everybody will be watching. Joshua's past opponents, Usyk, southpaw. Otto Wallin, southpaw. I think he's very comfortable fighting southpaws, and I'm a southpaw. So let's get it."
Check out his comments below (17:30):
Has Anthony Joshua fought Zhilei Zhang before? Re-examining the heavyweight's history
In the event that Anthony Joshua's next fight is with Zhilei Zhang, it will be an unlikely rematch.
'AJ' and 'Big Bang' have gone back and forth about a fight for quite a while now. For the Chinese boxer, a lot of that has to do with the fact that he suffered a loss to the Brit at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
For Zhang, the Olympics were his second, having come up short in 2008. Meanwhile, Joshua was just a few years deep into his boxing journey, having taken up the sport in 2007. Despite his inexperience, 'AJ' quickly found a home in the boxing ring and qualified for the summer games five years later.
The two future champions met in the quarterfinals, and the bout was quite competitive. Still, Joshua emerged as the victor by points and later went on to win the gold for the UK.
Over a decade removed from their first bout, it seems that the two might meet under professional rules.
Check out Anthony Joshua and Zhilei Zhang's bout at the 2012 Olympics: