Heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang was a keen observer of the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
Going into the rematch on December 21, Fury was looking to avenge the first ever loss in his professional career having fallen to a points defeat when the pair first met back in May.
That fight was a close one separated largely by one standout round from Usyk in the 9th. Fury vowed to do better second time round and clown around less, but it wasn’t to be.
Instead, Usyk once again proved himself to be the aggressor, pushing forward with front-foot pressure and throwing more accurate shots which ultimately meant he ran out as the unanimous winner on the cards after 12 rounds to retain three of the four major world titles and remain unbeaten.
Speaking to Seconds Out, Zhang was asked whether he saw Usyk as the fair winner.
“Usyk absolutely undisputed and I think he delivered a much better performance than the first fight. I had it one-sided in my opinion. I think right now he is the king of the heavyweight division.”
Late bloomer Zhang is in a good place right now having knocked out Deontay Wilder after twice stopping Joe Joyce in the last couple of years. Although he lost to Joseph Parker on points in 2024, he could earn a shot at Usyk’s WBC heavyweight title if he beats Agit Kabayel in a fight for the Interim belt in Saudi Arabia on February 22.
Whether or not the Ukrainian sticks around to entertain that is another matter, with many in the sport feeling retiring at the very top is the best idea.
