Zhilei Zhang believes Anthony Joshua is ducking him.
In 2012, Zhang and Joshua met in the quarterfinals of the Olympics, where Joshua won a decision en route to taking home the gold medal. Since then, Zhang has been interested in running things back in the professional ranks, but even after his stoppage win over Deontay Wilder in June, “Big Bang” thinks he’s unlikely to ever get a chance to avenge that loss.
“Mark my words, he’s not fighting me,” Zhang said Wednesday on The MMA Hour through a translator. “He’s not going to fight me, ever. Because after the 2012 Olympic Games, that was when we initially collided. After that, it’s been so many years. I was with Matchroom [Boxing] and I know what happened. I don’t think he’s ever going to fight me. My managers flew to London and I got words. So I don’t think he’s going to fight me.
“Look at his previous opponents. Francis Ngannou from the UFC, Robert Helenius — I don’t think he has what it takes to stand up against me. The way he picks his opponents says a lot about him.”
Following their bout at the Olympics, both men went on turn amass impressive professional records, with Zhang claiming the interim WBO heavyweight belt and Joshua becoming a two-time unified heavyweight champion. For years, Joshua appeared to be the next big thing in boxing and Zhang says his promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, protected that investment.
“Neither does Eddie. They don’t want it,” Zhang said. “He’s a cash cow for Eddie.
“The closest time we had to getting the deal done was after AJ lost to Usyk and I lost to Filip Hrgovic in Saudi Arabia. My managers got an invitation, flew to London to talk to them, and got a no.
“I don’t know why. I don’t have a reason. That’s his problem. But if he ever wants to fight, I’m in.”
Despite his many accomplishments, Joshua also faced harsh criticism over much of the past several years. After suffering a stunning upset defeat to Andy Ruiz in 2019, Joshua became a more tentative fighter, delivering tepid performances in many of his next bouts. However, since losing back-to-back fights to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua appears to be back to top form, stringing together four straight wins, three by stoppage. But Zhang says he can’t be sure whether Joshua is “back” or if he’s simply being fighting overmatched competition.
“Maybe people say he’s back,” Zhang said. “He knocked out Ngannou in two rounds, he beat Robert Helenius, knocked him out, and he beat Jermaine Franklin, Otto Wallin. I can’t say he’s back until I meet him in the ring and test him with my fists.”
Unfortunately for Zhang, that doesn’t appear to be on the horizon anytime soon. Joshua fights Daniel Dubois in September for the IBF heavyweight title, and should he win, that most likely sets up an undisputed heavyweight title fight with the winner of the Usyk vs. Tyson Fury rematch, which takes place sometime later this year.
So with Joshua not on the menu for the moment, Zhang hopes for a shot at a different kind of redemption: Avenging his majority decision loss to Joseph Parker from March.
“I’m looking at the top-ranked guys,” Zhang said. “Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are definitely ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, and I’m looking to fight them, for sure. If you go down the rankings, Agit Kabayel is highly ranked, so that could be on my radar as well. [Or] Parker. Rematch.”
