Zhilei Zhang impressively stopped Joe Joyce twice last year to put himself very much in the heavyweight title picture. However, he had to watch from the sidelines as many of his peers appeared on two big shows in Saudi Arabia.

That will change when Zhang faces former WBO titlist Joseph Parker at the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh on Friday.

Zhang, rated at No. 3 by The Ring at heavyweight, is excited to enter the mix and believes if he can turn back the challenge of Parker then he’ll be one step closer to his goal.

“The fight cards they are putting on in Saudi Arabia are so special,” Zhang (26-1-1, 21 knockouts) told RingTV. “Sometimes it just takes one person with a vision to make big things happen in our sport. And that person right now is His Excellency Turki Alalshikh.

“The fight with Parker is one I have wanted for some time. We both had big years, and his win over [Deontay] Wilder was very impressive. Whoever wins deserves a title shot for sure.”

The 40-year-old Chinese southpaw, who stands 6-feet-6 and weights around 280 pounds, knows that those victories over Joyce don’t guarantee he will beat former Joyce victim, Parker.

“Boxing doesn’t work in a way where if you beat someone who beat someone, then you are sure to beat the man that your former opponent beat,” he said. “It is all about styles, and there are a lot of examples of this through the history of boxing.”

Interestingly, this won’t be the first time the two have shared a ring. They met over a decade ago at the 2011 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. On that occasion, Zhang won 15:7 but isn’t reading too much into it.

“I did beat him to the points,” he said. “I don’t have much to say because it was amateur boxing and I was about 28 and he was even younger. A lot has changed in 13 years. Our styles developed. Professional boxing is also a different sport.

“I’m happy we both got to the top through the years. I believe we will be performing to our best ability on March 8.”

The scheduled 12-round contest is chief support to Anthony Joshua-Francis Ngannou and while the world will be watching, Zhang is under no illusions as to who he thinks will emerge victorious.

“Joshua is a world-class boxer who always prepares properly,” he said. “He also has the advantage of seeing 10 hard rounds of Ngannou’s boxing. Ngannou is an admirable man, but I think AJ beats him.”

Zhilei Zhang punches Joe Joyce during the their fight at Copper Box Arena on April 15, 2023 in London, England.  – Photo by James Chance/Getty Images

And then, all being well he hopes to land a fight with one of the two biggest names in the division.

“Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are the two guys I would like to share the ring with most,” he said. “I think I’ve earned that right and if I beat Parker, I think I should have a big opportunity like that sooner than later.”

It’s been a long journey that saw Zhang bounce around the U.S. fighting in different locations and also back in China.

“My brother [Tommy] and I helped transition Zhilei from amateur to professional in 2014,” explained Terry Lane, the son of Hall of Fame referee Mills Lane. “And then – to make a long story short – he received some bad advice from some bad people and got caught up in a very toxic situation that nearly forced him into retirement.

“My brother and I, along with our partner Scott Shaffer, reconnected with Zhilei in 2019 to help him. We then partnered with Kurt Li who has been with Zhilei since the beginning and formed a solid team. I think we have been successful in getting his career back on track.”

Zhang, who had been training under the watchful eye of Shaun George at the True Warriors Gym in Paterson, New Jersey, has enjoyed a successful preparation ahead of facing Parker.

“40-year-old athletes aren’t really supposed to be getting better, but that is exactly what is happening with Zhilei,” said Lane. “Every camp he looks better, and this one is no different.”

Parker (34-3, 23 knockouts), The Ring’s No. 4-rated heavyweight, was a former amateur standout before claiming the vacant WBO title at the expense of Andy Ruiz Jr. (MD 12) and made two defenses before losing a unification with Anthony Joshua (UD 12).

The New Zealand-born fighter lost a razor-thin decision to Dillian Whyte but won his next six fights, which included a pair of wins over perennial contender Chisora (SD 12/ UD 12). The 32-year-old lost a physically grueling fight against Joyce (KO 11). To his credit, he rebounded with four wins, notably dominating Deontay Wilder (UD 12) which helped earn him The Ring Comeback of The Year for 2023.

Joshua-Ngannou, plus undercard bouts, will be broadcast on DAZN at 2:00 p.m. ET/ 11:00 a.m. PT. and 7 p.m. GMT

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected].

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