Esa derrota, sumada a los problemas para encontrar rivales top, provocaron que Joe Joyce le llamase para pelear en abril de este año. Zhang tenía las apuestas en contra 10 a 1. El inglés iba a hacer la primera defensa del Mundial WBO Interino del peso pesado. Era claro favorito y se veía como un trámite, ya que el inglés quería ir contra Tyson Fury. Con ese cinturón interino habría presión por parte de WBO y podría darse.
“It was a lot of hard work,” George said. “It was promoters not believing in us and 115 boxing division fans not really understanding what was going on behind the scenes. It was a long road. It took us a long time to get here. But Zhilei is actually getting better. He’s enjoying himself. I’m excited, I’m happy and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.”
When he moved to the United States on March 8, 2014, he had to manage and self-finance aspects of his life which had previously been handled by the Henan Provincial Combat and Weightlifting Center. Cooking for himself was the biggest challenge of his early days in the US. In his first few months as a professional, he spent more time learning how to properly cook noodles than he did working in the ring.
The fight was allowed to continue, but with Joyce’s eyesight clearly hindered – and being repeatedly peppered by Zhang’s punches – referee Howard Foster recalled the doctor in round six before deciding to save Joyce from any more, potentially long-lasting, damage.
Some of us did feel Wilder might come in a little bit higher than 214, as he is facing such a big guy. But no, Wilder is light, he is trim, and he says he is ready to lay it all on the line in a do or die fight. That said, Wilder also declared how there is “no pressure” going into this fight.
Zhang was born in Beijing to Zhang Yuanxiao, an accountant and later economist, and Li Zhousheng, a kindergarten teacher. She has an older brother, Zhang Zinan, who was her manager. Zhang began her nine-year study of folk dance when she was 8; at 11, she joined the Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy at her parents’ suggestion. While at this boarding school, she noticed how mean the other girls were to each other while competing for status amongst the teachers. Zhang disliked the attitudes of her peers and teachers so much that, on one occasion, she ran away from the school. In 1994, she won the performance award in the National Taoli Cup Dance Competition. She also appeared in a handful of TV commercials. In 1996, Zhang entered the Central Academy of Drama, majoring in acting.
– Wilder wciąż ma czym uderzyć, poczułem kilka jego ciosów, ale po prostu okazałem się lepszy – mówi Zhang Zhilei (27-2-1, 22 KO), który do bogatego CV dorzucił w sobotni wieczór nazwisko Deontaya Wildera (43-4-1, 42 KO).
Zhilei Zhang (Chinese: 张志磊; pinyin: Zhāng Zhìlěi; born May 2, 1983) is a Chinese professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) interim heavyweight title between 2023 and March 2024. As of June 2024, Zhang is ranked as the world’s fifth-best active heavyweight by The Ring magazine.
Zhang Zhilei is no ordinary human being. Standing at 198 centimeters tall and weighing 130 kilograms, he isn’t just bigger than most males on the planet, he’s also taller and heavier than most other heavyweight boxers.
The victory made it a clean sweep for Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, which was squaring off with rival U.K. promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing in a unique 5 vs. 5 team concept created by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.
Ziyi made her Hollywood debut in 2001 opposite Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the action comedy film Rush Hour 2 (2001). That year she also starred as a princess in the historical drama film Musa. She has also appeared in the critically acclaimed films Hero (2002), opposite Jet Li, and House of Flying Daggers (2004), opposite Andy Lau. For her work in 2046 (2004), she won best actress at the 2005 Hong Kong Film Awards. Her most critically acclaimed works are Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), which earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role; and The Grandmaster (2013), for which she won 12 different Best Actress awards to become the most awarded Chinese actress for a single film.
The win marks Parker’s fifth in a row after suffering a loss at the hands of Joe Joyce in 2022. He’s now rebounded with two knockout wins before the biggest victory of his career over Deontay Wilder back in December.
According to data available in the public domain, Filip Hrgovic has a net worth of $1 million–$4 million. On Saturday night, El Animal will represent Croatia as he will take on ‘Big Bang’. Zhang Zhilei is reported to have a net worth of $5 million. He will represent his country, China, as he will face Hrgovic.