Zhilei Zhang is well-placed towards the top of the heavyweight division and is chasing a career-defining fight.
The towering Chinese southpaw is something of a late bloomer in the sport. He won a silver medal at the London Olympic Games in 2012 and then remained under the radar for the first part of his professional career, which started two years later.
It was his fight in Saudi Arabia in 2022 that really put him on the map, despite it being a close and controversial loss to the much-touted Fillip Hrgovic. After that, he went into a fight with the previously unbeaten Joe Joyce and stopped him inside six rounds, then repeated the trick in the rematch, this time winning by KO inside just three rounds.
Next, he fought Joseph Parker in March 2024 and lost on points despite twice having his man down. To bounce back, Zhang stopped Deontay Wilder in brutal fashion inside five rounds in June.
Since then he has repeatedly been called out by the heavyweight dangerman Martin Bakole.
Speaking to Boxing News, Zhang sent a direct message to the Congolese fighter, who labels himself ‘the most avoided fighter on the planet’ and repeatedly accuses Zhang and others of ducking him.
“I am not against fighting Martin Bakole. Actually, I welcome that fight. But at the end of the day, all you do is go online and post videos and talk about it but we have to see the contract. This a serious business, it has to materialise, we need to see the contract.”
Bakole has beaten Carlos Takam and had a statement win last year over American prospect Jared Anderson. He was ordered to face both Zhang and Agit Kabayel by the IBF, but those two settled on a fight between themselves for the WBC Interim Heavyweight Title on February 22, explaining why Bakole feels they have both avoided him.
Instead, Bakole has been ordered to face Efe Ajagbe for the IBF’s mandatory position and fans can expect an announcement very soon as to the date and location.
