The Chinese boxer is itching for retribution following Anthony Joshua’s triumph over Zhilei Zhang in the super heavyweight division at the 2012 London Olympics. Zhang is looking for a chance to even the score after seeing Joshua defeat Otto Wallin recently in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua had already eliminated Zhang in the second round of the London Games, and he had also advanced to the finals by defeating Roberto Cammarelle and Ivan Dychko. Joshua then made the move to the professional ring, where he won the heavyweight titles of the WBO, IBF, and WBA twice.
Anthony Joshua won his third fight of the year
In his most recent fight against Wallin in Riyadh, Joshua, 34, displayed dominant form and won his third fight of the year; however, the fight was canceled after the fifth round.
Zhang, who turned 40 in May, paid close attention to Joshua’s performance and, after the fight, challenged the British fighter on social media. Zhang expressed gratitude for Joshua’s journey on Instagram, acknowledging that he lost to him in the 2012 Olympics. He suggested a rematch, highlighting the importance of boxing as a sport and the thrill it would provide for fans all over the world.
Anthony Joshua will take on Croatian boxer Filip Hrgovic in early 2024
After Deontay Wilder’s shocking defeat to Joseph Parker shortly before Joshua’s most recent fight in the Middle East, it is now expected that Joshua will take on Croatian boxer Filip Hrgovic in early 2024. Zhilei Zhang retorted, expressing his interest in a rematch with Joshua while casting doubt on Hrgovic’s background.
Zhang claims that after Hrgovic defeated him to earn his mandatory challenger status, he had to fight at lesser levels to keep his standing, which raised questions about his preparedness for competition.
For the full twelve rounds, Hrgovic engaged Australian Demsey McKean, constantly putting pressure on the back of McKean’s head. Considering that Hrgovic uses the same strategy in each fight and round, I can now classify him as a specialist in hitting opponents on the back of the head. I don’t think a fight between Joshua and Hrgovic would be very profitable because, should Joshua decide to challenge me, it will draw a sizable audience from China, England, and the Middle East.
Everybody is going to be observing—previous opponents of Joshua’s included southpaws Otto Wallin and Oleksandr Usyk. Since I’m a southpaw and Joshua has experience fighting against them, let’s get this fight on. Parker’s accomplishments are acknowledged, but my objective is to fight Joshua in the upcoming match.
More about Anthony Joshua
Joshua is a well-known professional boxer from Britain who held the title of unified world heavyweight champion twice. Between 2016 and 2021, he won two titles in the World Boxing Organization (WBO), the World Boxing Association (WBA) (Super version), and the International Boxing Federation (IBF).
He also held the title of International Boxing Organization (IBO) twice. He won the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles in the regional arena in 2015 and 2016.
In his amateur career, Joshua won a silver medal in the super-heavyweight division while competing for England at the 2011 World Championships. He won a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics while competing as a Great Britain representative. Acknowledged for his early achievements, he was named 2014’s Prospect of the Year by The Ring magazine, one year after turning pro.
The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America named Anthony Joshua’s decisive victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2017 the Fight of the Year. Joshua is the second English boxer, after James DeGale, to win a world title from a major professional sanctioning body in addition to an Olympic gold medal. He also becomes the first heavyweight Englishman to accomplish this incredible feat.
