Zhilei Zhang will be a hugely interested bystander when Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury do battle once more in December.
The first match between these two then-unbeaten heavyweights was one for the ages. A close back and forth took place in Saudi Arabia, with one decisive round going the way of Usyk.
The Ukrainian landed a big shot that sent Fury to the ropes and ultimately made the difference when it came to the conclusion of 12 rounds.
The victory meant the former Olympic gold medalist and undisputed cruiserweight champion added the undisputed title at heavyweight to his collection.
The rematch will not be for all four belts after Usyk had to vacate the IBF in order to honour his commitment to Fury, though whoever wins could well pursue a fight with current IBF holder Daniel Dubois to regain that title. Zhang spoke to Seconds Out and predicted the rematch.
“I think both fighters are great and they did great in their last fight but I think skills pay the bills in this business and Usyk definitely has the skills.
“He moves around, has light feet, he punches a lot, a lot of combinations. He has his number. Fury is good too, he has his skills, but I’m slightly leaning towards Usyk.”
‘Big Bang’ will be hoping he can muscle in on one of these big fights having put together a superb run of late. He beat Deontay Wilder by impressive fifth round stoppage last time out in June, and had two impressive back-to-back KO wins over Joe Joyce in 2023.
