Zhilei Zhang is not yet hanging up his gloves.
The giant Chinese heavyweight has been involved in some big name fights turning from amateur to pro late. He properly announced himself on the scene with back-to-back victories over Joe Joyce back in 2023. Zhang won both by knockout, the first in the 6th round the second in the 3rd round, to get back to winning ways after a controversial points defeat to Filip Hrgovic in 2022.
He has since had his ups and downs, losing to Joseph Parker on points, stopping Deontay Wilder inside five rounds and, most recently, being defeated via KO by Agit Kabayel in February of this year.
One other loss that has stayed with him was when he was defeated on points in the quarter-final of the Olympic Games of 2012 in London by Anthony Joshua.
Speaking on his own YouTube channel, Zhang stated that, ’42 is not the end just a new chapter’s before naming a professional rematch with Joshua as his top target.
“We will be discussing our next steps, including the opponent, time and location. I hope to fight by the end of this year. If Joshua is interested, okay I’m in. Wherever it is. This fight has been talked about for many years but it never materialised. It will be great if we can make it happen this time around. My dream is unachieved. I’m still chasing. I am still on route to be the best world champion. I am still one step away from that goal, but it takes a lot to get up there.”
Whether or not Zhang can secure a high-level opponent like Joshua, who is currently out with a minor elbow injury, remains to be seen. ‘AJ’, despite losing conclusively to Daniel Dubois last time out, is targeting a showdown with the currently retired Tyson Fury above all other names.
