The big bang. An event that destroyed all in its path but created life anew. The end of all things and the start of them, too. The ultimate epicentre of rejuvenative destruction.
‘Big Bang’, then, is an apropos nickname for Zhilei Zhang. In three rounds on Saturday night, the hopes and dreams, perhaps even the career, of Joe Joyce was destroyed. But like the cosmological event that he is named after, Zhang’s explosion has also brought new life to a heavyweight division struggling under its own weight.
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Before this fight, there was a logjam at heavyweight. Champions Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and challengers like Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder all stuffed together in an unmoving mulch of inactive big men. The fights are obvious. Fury-Joshua, Fury-Usyk, Wilder-Joshua. All mooted, all at one point negotiated, none happening.
But what Zhang has done with his universe-shaking punch-power is offer new life. Who would say no to Fury-Zhang? Joshua-Zhang? Wilder-Zhang? Usyk-Zhang? Suddenly a new challenger has entered the fray. Not on political manoeuvring or sanctioning body shenanigans. But simply by blitzing the world-ranked heavyweight put in front of him. Twice.
Joyce lasted less than nine rounds from a scheduled 24 against Zhang, across two fights. A fighter who had never lost or even been dropped finished the two-fight series knocked out. If that doesn’t get your blood pumping as a boxing fan then nothing will.
Zhang isn’t perfect, but since when was perfection a requirement for entertainment? Sure, he looked ragged in his 2022 decision loss to Filip Hrgovic. But that was a close fight, one in which Zhang knocked Hrgovic down and where many thought the Chinese fighter did enough to win. What it proved is that Zhang can give anyone a hard time, even when he’s not at his best.
The four biggest fights on available to him all offer unique, exciting opportunities. A fight with WBC champion Fury seems to be the one Zhang craves the most. It would be a rare bout in which the Olympian would give up size, with ‘The Gypsy King’ standing 6’9” to Zhang’s 6’6”. But the 40-year-old might hit harder than anyone Fury has ever fought outside of Wilder. The champion has been down several times in his career. Who’s to say what would happen if Zhang connected with the short-right hook that took out Joyce? ‘Juggernaut’ had never been down in his career but that shot ended his night in short order. Can Fury take that punch and keep trucking?
What about Wilder himself? A fight with Zhang certainly doesn’t feel like it would go the distance. A nail-biting collision between two of the most powerful men in the division would thrill for as long as it lasted. Neither are infallible, with both having defensive frailties. Couple that with concussive power and this one would be explosive indeed.
Narratively, the idea of Zhang-Joshua might be the most intriguing fight of all. ‘AJ’ defeated ‘Big Bang’ in the quarter-finals of the London 2012 Olympics. Zhang had won silver four years before in Beijing and Joshua’s win was considered an upset. Of course, ‘AJ’ went all the way to the podium, winning Olympic gold after beating Roberto Cammarelle.
Joshua is no stranger to “repeat or revenge” clashes with amateur rivals. His 2015 scrap with Dillian Whyte came after ‘The Body Snatcher’ won a 2009 amateur fight with ‘AJ’. Now Joshua would be the one coming in with the win and Zhang would play the revenge-seeking role. It is a tantalising fight for that reason, but also considering where both men stand in the pro game.
Joshua has won twice since losing back-to-back unified title fights to Usyk. The Ukrainian himself would be a fascinating foe for Zhang, who holds the ‘interim’ version of Usyk’s WBO title. Zhilei would pose physical challenges with his size, given the fact Usyk is a former cruiserweight. You would think Zhang would fight Usyk with less caution than Joshua did in their two fights too.
Zhang’s victory over Joyce could have far-reaching implications. The 40-year-old seems willing to fight anyone. Will the gun-shy heavyweight division take him up on his offer? Let’s hope so. ‘Big Bang’ doesn’t have long left in the game at his age. Let’s hope that cosmological event against Joyce on Saturday wasn’t all for nothing.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
