With pockets of travelling fans waving China flags scattered around the arena, Zhang made his entrance. The 2008 Olympic silver medallist became an even bigger star in his home country after beating Joyce first time around.

Round 3: Dubois comes out with a fire underneath him. He charges across and gets Hrgovic on his heels immediately. Dubois still steady with the jab and Hrgovic is now doing the same. Hrgovic looks a bit winded already. This has been a high-paced fight so far. But Dubois seems fresh and he’s taking the initiative now.

O.K. So how is it that Zhang, 40 years old and more than a decade into his pro career, is suddenly one of boxing’s best big men? For that you have to go to George, a fringe cruiserweight who retired in 2009. At the urging of his manager—Duva’s father, Lou—George decided to get into training. Lou invited George to a U.S.–China national team dual meet in New York and pointed out Zhang. "Watch this guy," he told George. "He’s going to be heavyweight champ."

Zhang isn’t sure where his size comes from. Both his parents were under 6 feet. His brother and sister—Zhang is the youngest of three—are as well. He’s heard stories about his great-grandfather being big but can’t say for certain. "Maybe," muses Zhang, "some kind of genetic mutation."

In his pro debut on August 8, 2014, the original opponent dropped out out a week before the bout. Zhang knocked out his replacement, Curtis Tate, in the opening 17 seconds of round one. Roc Nation's boxing division was so quiet in 2019 that Zhang's last match under Roc Nation on November 30 that year with Andriy Rudenko was in fact promoted by Matchroom Sport USA, which went on to sign Zhang the next year. The fight had originally been scheduled for November 2018 by Matchroom Sport but Zhang missed out because of visa problems.

Chinese officials did, too. In 1998, zhilei zhang boxrec moved to Zhengzhou, the site of a provincial training center. Success followed. A silver medal at the 2004 university championships. A bronze at the world championships in ’07. In ’08, Zhang claimed his silver medal at the Beijing Olympics. He began studying not just boxing but also boxers. Mike Tyson. Evander Holyfield. Lennox Lewis. Not just their skills but also their fortitude. "Great heavyweights, when they fight into the last couple of rounds they’re all gassed out, but they are still throwing punches," says Zhang. "At the end of the fight it’s all mental. That’s when you see a fighting spirit."

Zhang worked Joyce with the left before he delivered the knockout blow with a powerful right hook which sent his 38-year-old opponent to the canvas - and could well end his hopes in the heavyweight division.

Parker (34-3, 23 KO), the younger man by eight years, has won four straight since his own unfortunate run-in with "The Juggernaut." A four-fight 2023 saw him take a decision over an unexpectedly game Jack Massey, demolish a pair of overmatched foes in Faiga Opelu and Simon Kean, then cap off the year by cruising past Deontay Wilder last month.

Picture this: On one side of the ring stands ‘The Bronze Bomber,’ still reeling from the sting of a surprising defeat dealt by Joseph Parker just last December. On the opposing corner, the formidable Chinese heavyweight stands, also grappling with the bitter loss to the same adversary as his current opponent. It sets the stage for an epic showdown, a battle that promises to reveal the true power-punching titan of the heavyweight division between them. As the anticipation mounts, the burning question lingers: Who will seize victory when the bell tolls on fight night? Let’s crunch the numbers and dissect their recent fights. Based on this cold, hard data and what they showed in the ring, we can chart a clear prediction for this upcoming bout.

The 38-year-old Wilder (43-3-1), acting as a captain for Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, is the younger man between the two, with Zhang (26-2-1), who is three years older at 41. While age plays a crucial role in a boxer’s career, Zhang and Wilder aren’t that far apart. However, the Tuscaloosa resident has shown signs of slowing down and even almost announced his retirement from the sport after the loss against Parker. He eventually took back his statement, but one has to think there might not be enough gas left in the tank for the Bronze Bomber.

Following the setback, Zhang scored back-to-back inside-the-distance wins over Joyce, including a spectacular third-round KO in the September rematch. The pair of wins solidified Zhang as ESPN's No. 5 heavyweight, and he was favored to defeat Parker, too.

Anthony Yarde, speaking to TNT Sports after his second round knockout win over Jorge Silva: "For me, after nine months out of the ring, when you’re in there it’s like a blur sometimes. I feel like I started slow but I needed to get my timing.

In 1995, Zhang was called up to the Shenqiu County canoe sprinting team by coach Li Guofeng. When Zhang injured his leg during a tryout for the provincial canoe sprinting team, he was referred to the provincial boxing coach Gu Ganqing. In 1998, Gu signed him to the Combat and Weightlifting Center in the Henan Provincial Department of Sports, headed by center chief Li Yan in Shangjie. From 1998 until he was released from his sporting obligations, he was coached by Gu. This was the first time Zhang had lived away from his family.