Heavyweight Zhilei Zhang revealed that talks have begun between him and former WBO champion, Joseph Parker, for a rematch.
It’s a dangerous fight for Zhang because Parker may box and walk all night to avoid exchanges until the second half of the contest when the big Chinese knockout artist is too tired to throw.
Zhang’s Previous Performance
Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) says he is open to a fight anytime before the end of the year. He is just looking for a chance to avenge his twelve round decision loss to Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) last March.
That was a tough fight for two-time Olympian Zhang to lose because he dropped Parker twice early, and he looked to be on his way to an easy victory. However, Zhang let out a breath, and Parker could play it safe, box, and go on to win a twelve-round decision.
Parker will use Zhang’s poor fuel in the rematch unless he fixes it, which is likely at 40. To win, Zhang will need to get to Parker early before he dies, and that won’t be easy because his coach, Andy Lee, has fought carefully.
Parker has changed his style from being a slugger to a boxer, specifically a boxer. He’s not fun to watch, but his style has been effective against his limited opposition in his last five fights. Even with Parker’s style of playing safe, Zhang would have taken him out if his stamina had been better. A fit Zhang would have made easy work of Parker, who was shy for most of the fight.
The Need for Weight Management
Zhang needs to cut weight for this fight because he weighed 291 lbs when he faced Parker, and he couldn’t maintain his early momentum after the fifth round. He should have known he was up against a crafty fighter like Parker after watching how he fought Deontay Wilder in his last fight in December.
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