by Salina McSharryAny thoughts of Joyce moving on to mega fights with Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, or former amateur rival Oleksandr Usyk have gone up in smoke. Instead, it’s Zhang who takes his place as a threat to the division elite. And despite being WBO mandatory challenger for Usyk, the 40-year-old hitter is taking aim at “The Gypsy King”.
“I blocked a few punches, but hell yeah, he punches hard,” Zhang, speaking through an interpreter, said of Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs), who is regarded as one of the most powerful punchers in heavyweight history.
As if Zhilei Zhang wasn’t already intimidating—as if being 6′ 6″ with Thanos-like fists didn’t make your knees rattle, as if back-to-back knockout wins last year over granite-chinned Brit joe joyce parents Joyce weren’t enough—on this particular mid-November afternoon, inside a nondescript gun range in northern New Jersey, Zhang has his fingers wrapped around a Sig Sauer P365 XL. Guns, Zhang insists, were never his thing. His trainer, Shaun George, introduced him to recreational shooting a few years ago; Kurt Li, his co-manager, translator and, it turned out, part-time range safety officer, showed him the ropes. The first time he pulled a trigger, his hands trembled.
George liked China, so much so that when Zhang turned pro and moved to New Jersey, George stayed behind. Three years later, in 2017, Zhang, his career floundering, asked him to become his head trainer and George agreed.
The more George watched, the more he liked. Zhang had size, sure. But he also had speed. Athleticism. Slashing power. After the meet, the Chinese coaches invited George to a camp in the Poconos. “They liked my philosophies,” says George. With the 2010 Asian Games around the corner, the coaches asked George to come to Beijing to work with their top prospects.
Any conversation about Zhang, the 2008 Olympic silver medallist and now an undefeated maverick whose potential is still unfulfilled, surrounds the idea that he could generate business opportunities in China.
In between those wins in China, Zhilei stopped Galen “Bad Boy” Brown, 44-35-1, in Quincy, Mass. He won four more times in the US before returning to China in September 2018, stopping Don “Mr. JBT” Haynesworth, 15-2-1.
Before 2014, Zhang was a typical product of the Chinese state-centric sports development policy known as juguo tizhi (举国体制), with all his training schedule, coaching, insurance, housing, and meals arranged and paid for by the Henan Provincial Combat and Weightlifting Center. Hence, few Chinese boxers turn pro. The Henan Provincial Department of Sports secured public institution positions for athletes like Zhang should they retire in China.
The fight was allowed to continue, but with Joyce’s eyesight clearly hindered – and being repeatedly peppered by Zhang’s punches – referee Howard Foster recalled the doctor in round six before deciding to save Joyce from any more, potentially long-lasting, damage.
Zhang’s fight with Jerry Forrest was on the undercard of the super-middleweight title fight between Canelo Álvarez and Avni Yıldırım. Although Zhang started strongly, scoring three knockdowns in the opening three rounds, Zhang completely gassed out from the fourth round and Forrest was able to battle his way back to earn a majority draw. The final scorecards read 95–93 Forrest, 93–93, and 93–93, with the irregular scores owing to a point deduction against Zhang for excessive holding. Many fans thought Zhang vs. Forrest was a better fight than the main bout.
George saw something different. Back in Jersey, George worked to fine-tune Zhang’s skills. Chin tucked lower. Hands held higher. “At the same time, not change him so much where he doesn’t know how to use his feet,” says George. “Because he’s actually really quick on his feet. But you guys don’t know yet. He has pretty good hand speed, but you guys are actually just noticing now.”
Rapidement, Zhilei Zhang met de l’agressivité et exerce une pression sur l’Américain. Plus précis, il impose son rythme et touche Wilder à plusieurs reprises. Le ‘Bronze Bomber’ réplique avec une jolie combinaison, mais ne parvient pas à ébranler le Chinois… Dans la cinquième reprise, Zhang plie le combat. Sur un étonnant contre, il touche Wilder, et ce dernier recule en tournant le dos. Le boxeur chinois en profite pour claquer une énorme droite sur l’ancien champion, qui tombe directement au sol. Complètement éteint, Deontay Wilder est arrêté par l’arbitre : Zhilei Zhang s’impose par KO !
A year later, Zhang faced Hrgović, an undefeated former Olympic bronze medalist from Croatia. Hrgović had never been past the eighth round. Zhang took him 12, dropping a razor-thin decision. “He won,” says George. “You’ll never convince me otherwise.” A few months later Zhang got the call for Joyce. Cutting left hands did the job in the first fight. One thudding right did it in the rematch.
Hrgovic gave Zhang his first career loss, but not without some controversy as many boxing fans believed Zhang deserved to win the closely-contested bout. Zhang didn’t let the loss define him, instead coming back and getting a career-best win over then undefeated British heavyweight Joe Joyce in his next fight.