Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker go head to head. Photo: Mark Robinson
Joseph Parker v Zhilei Zhang
11am, Saturday 9 March
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Joseph Parker is back in the ring, less than three months after his stunning victory over Deontay Wilder in Riyadh. The win restarted his career and quest to return to heavyweight boxing's top table, and he finds himself back in the same venue this weekend against Chinese fighter Zhilei 'Big Bang' Zhang at Knockout Chaos. The card is headlined by Anthony Joshua taking on MMA convert Francis Ngannou.
"I feel dangerous, I really do," said Parker at the pre-fight press conference.
"And Zhang's going to feel the danger."
The Wilder result got mouths watering over who Parker would fight next, with a rematch against Anthony Joshua seen as the dream result. But as always in boxing, things aren't that simple - Joshua is instead fighting MMA convert Francis Ngannou on the same card and Parker finds himself against the 26-1 Zhang.
"I'm the tiger right here. I'm here to hunt," said Zhang through an interpreter before the two men squared off.
"You want to take the food out of my mouth, you're going to pay the price."
Good, standard hype chat from both men, but the talk stops about 11am Saturday.
The good news is there'll be no guesswork as to what Parker does next if he wins. The not so good news is that it'll be Zhang again, due to the interim WBO champion's automatic rematch clause. It's hard not to feel a little bit underwhelmed by that prospect, but a fight with a much bigger name is still on the cards in 2024.
Boxing's shift to Saudi Arabia's money has been pretty swift, unlike other sports it at least feels like a more comfortable fit, and it has its advantages for fans. Mega cards like Saturday's Knockout Chaos are much easier to assemble in far less time, so if Parker can dispose of Zhang quickly, another big Christmas payday in the Riyadh Season sports showcase beckons. Winning the interim belt means Parker will be in line for a shot at the winner of the much-anticipated showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, which has been rescheduled for May.
That's easier said than done, though. Zhang is an imposing figure at six foot four, although it's hard to get a gauge on his body of work up until last year. It's tempting to think that he has his memorable nickname simply because 'Bang' rhymes with 'Zhang', but the way he defeated Englishman Joe Joyce twice last year proves otherwise.
Joseph Parker (L) trains with his trainer Andy Lee. Photo: Richard Pelham
The result piqued interest because Joyce comfortably beat Parker in late 2022. Before that, Zhang's most notable opponent was Croat Filip Hrgović, who handed Zhang the only loss of his pro career after a unanimous decision. His body of work otherwise is a lot of wins over guys who you'd have to be a real devotee of the sport to recognise.
The main threat the 40-year-old Zhang possesses is his punching power, Joyce went into his fights talking up his ability to absorb punishment and ended up being counted out in the third and sixth rounds respectively. Southpaw Zhang's straight left is a weapon that Parker wouldn't be used to, in fact he's only faced one lefty in his career and that was back in 2016 when he beat Jason Bergman in Apia.
Parker's main advantage is his clearly increased ring IQ, which he has openly said is due to the influence of trainer Andy Lee and his association with Tyson Fury's training set up. The strategy he executed against Wilder was perfect, arguably winning every round, and it's likely it won't deviate too much against Zhang. The further the fight goes, the better chance he has of winning, so as long as he can survive whatever Zhang throws at him in the early rounds he can close it out.
Despite the rematch clause, it is extremely heartening to see Parker back on a path to boxing relevance, if not outright glory.