Big Bang’s Big Day Out: Five potential opponents for Zhilei Zhang at heavyweight

UNLIKE most different sports activities, what you have a tendency to seek out in boxing is {that a} large win will, as a substitute of opening doorways, in reality shut lots of them within the face of the victorious fighter. An enormous win, in spite of everything, particularly one that’s surprising, will do not more than shine a light-weight on the victor’s risk and make all different potential opponents cautious slightly than incentivised to at some stage combat them.

This may nicely be true within the case of China’s Zhilei Zang, too, following a surprising third-round stoppage of Joyce Joyce at Wembley on Saturday (September 23). Because that win, whereas maybe not surprising per se, was so immaculate and devastating in its execution it’s going to absolutely solely result in different heavyweights now wanting the opposite means when Zhang’s identify is talked about on any shortlist of attainable foes.

He is, on the face of it, a heavyweight’s worst nightmare: weighing all of 285 kilos, standing at six foot six, and a heavy-handed southpaw as well. Moreover, given how extremely all of us rated Joyce’s sturdiness and stamina, to see him disintegrate beneath the burden of Zhang’s punches virtually instantly was proof that not solely even nice chins can erode with time however, particularly, that Zhang possesses a mix of southpaw hand velocity and energy that’s, to different heavyweights, fairly uncommon; uncommon in the identical means as somebody like Corrie Sanders was uncommon some 20 years in the past.

That doesn’t imply Zhang can’t be overwhelmed, in fact. (He has in reality already misplaced as a professional, albeit controversially, to Filip Hrgovic in 2022.) But clearly his mixture of measurement, lefty awkwardness, and pure punch energy is, if it hasn’t already, going to make him a person deemed one to keep away from slightly than goal and choose off.

That’s the place Frank Warren, Zhang’s promoter, should are available in and create alternatives for the presumably marketable heavyweight from China. It can be as much as him, extra so than Zhang, to select the appropriate fights at the appropriate time and pressure the perfect heavyweights on the planet to combat him, and shortly – Zhang is, let’s not overlook, now a person of 40.

It stays to be seen who they aim, Zhang and Warren, however two issues we all know for positive are one, there received’t be one other combat between Zhang and Joyce anytime quickly, so mismatched had been they on Saturday night time, and two, only a few of the heavyweights talked about under can be in any rush to volunteer going up towards “Big Bang” Zhang.

1) Tyson Fury, 33-0-1 (24)

Perhaps the best of all of the fights to make, if solely as a result of Frank Warren promotes them each, this may be an attention-grabbing mix of types and personalities, as nicely pressure a hoop to buckle beneath the burden of two monumental heavyweights. It can be intriguing to see how Fury would go about making an attempt to outbox Zhang, which might probably be the plan, and likewise how Zhang would go about closing the space on Fury, which he would probably should do to get any success.

Ultimately, although, as intriguing as it might be, and as simple to make as it might appear, it’s arduous to think about a state of affairs whereby Fury instantly pivots from “boxing” a blended martial artist like Francis Ngannou for mega cash within the Middle East to then taking a tough, high-risk, low-reward project in his pure habitat towards a artful southpaw like Zhang. Unfortunately, these are the not the type of challenges of curiosity to Fury anymore.

Tyson Fury (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

2) Anthony Joshua, 26-3 (23)

Similarly, one struggles to see Joshua being any extra enamoured by the thought of combating Zhang than Fury at this level, if simply for causes pertaining to model. After all, the very last thing Joshua wants, having misplaced twice towards Oleksandr Usyk, is one other methodical southpaw with a pesky back-hand and no small quantity of composure. That stated, it might be fairly the assertion if Joshua did certainly discover it inside himself to sooner or later take the problem on and ace it. In reality, it’s arduous to consider a greater means for the Londoner to exorcise these Usyk demons; save, that’s, for by some means managing to beat Usyk in an unlikely third combat.

Anthony Joshua (Mark Robinson/Getty Images)

3) Oleksandr Usyk, 21-0 (14)

In what can be a battle between the 2 finest southpaw heavyweights on the planet, Usyk vs. Zhang can be a purist’s dream and a rarity at heavyweight insofar as technical excellence. Because it’s apparent for anybody who has watched both man for any size of time that these two function on a unique degree of approach and ring IQ to most who compete within the heavyweight division as of late. Usyk, particularly, is a person who has to compensate for his lack of pure heavyweight measurement by reacting twice a shortly as his opponents and being twice as good. Zhang, likewise, whereas not handicapped bodily the identical means, is somebody who has in latest fights proven loads of endurance and composure, in addition to a capability to select punches with smoothness and assurance.

Usyk triumphs as soon as once more (Getty Images)

4) Deontay Wilder, 43-2-1 (42)

On paper at least, it’s powerful to envisage a heavyweight combat containing as a lot energy as there would within the ring had been Wilder and Zhang to ever cross paths. Wilder, in spite of everything, is deemed the toughest puncher within the sport, with 42 knockouts from his 43 wins, and Zhang, no slouch himself, at present boasts 21 stoppages from his 26 wins. More than simply the stats, although, what units these two males aside is their skill to cease opponents who’ve by no means earlier than been stopped; cracking somebody who had, till then, not been cracked. Among others, Wilder did this fairly excellently towards Luis Ortiz, not as soon as however twice, whereas Zhang lately did the identical with Joe Joyce.

Deontay Wilder (Al Bello/Getty Images)

5) Filip Hrgovic, 16-0 (13)

If there’s one combat Zhang deserves, whether or not to simply put proper or for his personal peace of thoughts, it’s a rematch towards unbeaten Croatian Hrgovic, towards whom he dropped a good determination in August 2022. That night time, in a weird spectacle which noticed each males exhausted to the purpose of close to collapse, Zhang appeared to have finished sufficient to take the spoils at the top of 12 draining rounds solely to be left dissatisfied when the judges voted the opposite means. Since then, Zhang has rebounded with a few nice wins towards Joe Joyce, whereas Hrgovic has fought simply as soon as, stopping Demsey McKean in one other snoozer in August of this yr. It would make sense due to this fact for them to satisfy once more at some stage. (Yet, in fact, with each now positioning themselves for a title shot, any rematch is more likely to come solely when one or each have both succeeded or failed at changing into heavyweight champion of the world.)

Hrgovic seems to be on throughout his combat towards Zhang final yr (Francois Nel/Getty Images)