Zhilei Zhang knocked down Joseph Parker before losing the fight on points and has now assessed how he will get on against Fabio Wardley.
Parker and Zhang fought back in 2024, just three months after the New Zelanader had impressively beaten Deontay Wilder over 12 rounds. The same fate befell Zhang, although the Chinese heavyweight did put Parker down on the canvas twice in that fight.
Parker then went on to beat Martin Bakole by KO inside two rounds, although Bakole had not had a full camp and was a late stand in when Daniel Dubois withdrew due to illness. He is, therefore, one of the form men in the division going into this weekend’s fight with another big puncher in Wardley.
Former white collar man Wardley has beaten the likes of Frazer Clarke and David Adeleye. Last time out, he stopped Justis Huni, turning the tide on what was looking like a points loss given how the rest of the contest had gone. This fight against New Zealand’s former world champion Parker is the biggest step-up of his campaign so far.
Speaking to BoxNation, Zhang was asked how he thinks the world title eliminator will go and he leaned towards his old foe.
“I’ve been in the ring with Joseph Parker, I’m slightly favouring Parker in this fight. I believe his overall ability is a level above Fabio Wardley.”
When asked for a method of victory, he went with the judges.
“Probably by decision.”
However the win comes and for whom, it will be rewarded with a world heavyweight title shot as Oleksandr Usyk has been ordered to defend his WBO belt against the victor sometime in early 2026.
