DEONTAY WILDER has been challenged to a bridgerweight bust-up with a Brit world champion.
The Bronze Bomber’s future at heavyweight is in limbo following four defeats in his last five outings, the most recent of which was a brutal sixth-round KO at the hands of Zheili Zhang.
Despite his brutal and long reign as WBC king, fight fans have long thought the tall and wiry Wilder would be better suited to fighting at lighter weight.
The recently formed bridgerweight division would be an ideal new home for the American should he try to breathe new life into his career.
And WBC titleholder Lawrence Okolie would happily welcome him to the weight class, telling Betway: “I think it would be a great fight
And he’ll always have what leaves people late and that’s his punching power and the name – Deontay Wilder.”
Unlike most of Wilder’s opponents, Okolie wants to feel the full force of Wilder’s cannon-like right hand.
He continued: “If I’m boxing Wilder, no matter what I say, I’m going to be a little bit apprehensive and think, ‘Okay let’s see what his power is like’.
“I think it’s a great fight.”
Wilder’s run of form has, understandably, sparked calls for him to hang up his gloves.
The most costly of those losses was last December’s defeat to Joseph Parker, which scuppered a two-fight series with long-time rival Anthony Joshua worth a whopping £100million.
AJ, however, refuses to join the growing list of fighters telling the Alabama slammer to call it a day.
The former two-time unified heavyweight champion said: “Come again if you want, but he’s got his family and there’s a life outside of boxing for him.
“I enjoy fighting in London, I enjoy fighting out here [Saudi Arabia], I enjoy fighting in America.
“It’s a blessing, and it doesn’t last forever.
“That’s why I say it with Wilder if he wants to go again, give it another crack.
“But sooner or later, Father Time will catch up with you – with everyone.”
Tyson Fury has opened up on his retirement from the sport.
The Gypsy King suffered his first loss against Oleksandr Usyk as the Ukrainian became the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. The rematch has been scheduled for December 21, giving Fury a chance to avenge his loss. Another defeat for Fury will raise question marks over whether he should retire.
The two Usyk fights alone have earned him over $100 million, setting up his financial future. Another defeat will also reduce the importance of an Anthony Joshua fight, who is likely to chase a third Usyk fight if the Ukrainian wins. Fury is now 36 and has won every belt at heavyweight, even if he has not been undisputed. But Fury’s following comments suggest he will struggle to walk away from the sport.
“I’ve been in love with boxing for such a long time – from being a little boy – and I’m 34 now. I’m probably at the end of my career in the next few years. It’s been a love-hate relationship. It’s been toxic at times. When it’s good, it’s very good, and when it’s bad, it’s very toxic.
“So I’m in that relationship and I don’t just abandon things. I try and make things work and that’s where we are at the minute. We’ve been in this romantic relationship since I can remember, since I was a child, and now I am a fully grown adult with a family of my own. It’s like, ‘Do I abandon it, or do I not?’ I wanted to walk away a lot of times but it always drags me back,” Fury said
Fury’s brother, Shane Fury, has already warned his brother that he wants him to retire from boxing after the Usyk fight. This is regardless of the outcome. He referenced how Fury took a lot of punishment in the fight, especially as he was nearly knocked out in round nine. In his post-fight comments, it was clear that Fury had been concussed. He wished everyone a Happy New Year when it was only May. Fury has also had three tough fights with Deontay Wilder.
The Gypsy King was dropped in the first and third fights with brutal right hands. Fury admitted that he feared he had brain damage after the third Wilder fight. He has also been accused of not being the same fighter after the Wilder fights.
He was dropped by Francis Ngannou, an MMA fighter making his boxing debut, in a fight where he was lucky to scrape through with a split decision win. However, the longer Fury stays in the sport, the more he risks harming himself. Derek Chisora has suffered similarly, as the boxer is showing early signs of having CTE. And yet, the 42-year-old continues to fight. Fury must avoid doing something similar.
“It’s like a massive drug and an addiction. I know it’s an addiction and I’m an addictive person. Boxing is an addiction; it’s not my best friend. It abuses me. When I come in this gym, it abuses my body, my mind, my soul. But afterwards I feel like it takes me to ecstasy. The rush is unbelievable. It gives me the biggest highs ever, but it also gives me the lowest lows as well. Boxing is more addictive than any drug ever. Ever. You can’t let it go,” Fury added
Anthony Joshua has given his take on Tyson Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury lost the first fight via a split decision as Usyk became the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. The scorecards suggested it was a close fight, but Usyk dominated most of the bout. Aside from the middle rounds, the Gypsy King was out-fought for most of the fight, as Usyk almost stopped him in round nine. The referee imposed a standing eight count just when Usyk went for the stoppage.
Joshua also lost to Usyk in consecutive fights, losing his Unified Heavyweight Title. But Fury has the chance to redeem himself. He rematches Usyk on December 21. Meanwhile, Joshua takes on Daniel Dubois on September 21. If Joshua and Fury win, they could fight each other next for undisputed. But before that can happen, Joshua has told Fury to focus on himself.
“It [Fury-Joshua] needs to happen, it’s just taking a long time, it needs to happen. But he’s got his hands full and so have I. Let’s both do our jobs and we’ll see a positive 2025 I’m sure of it because we know that the people that are listening want to make good things happen. So potentially we might see Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury enter into a ring in collaboration with Riyadh Season, here in London. But let’s get focused on Daniel, that’s our main objective and we’ll see what happens there,” Joshua said
Fury is the underdog in his rematch, where he was the favorite in the first fight. The Gypsy King maintained that he had beaten Usyk, arguing the Ukrainian had only been given the decision due to the war with Russia. Fury also watched the fight again and alleged he had won around ten rounds. He referred to Usyk as an amateur boxer who refused to accept defeat.
He was seen getting thrown out of a bar in his hometown of Morecambe after appearing to be drunk. Meanwhile, Joshua is in great form. He has bounced back from his loss to Usyk and is unbeaten in his last four bouts.
Two of his wins have been under his new trainer, Ben Davidson. Since working with Davidson, he has stopped Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou. Since Davidson was Fury’s trainer, it has set up an intriguing fight with the Gypsy King. But Joshua felt that Usyk would be too much for the Gypsy King.
“I think it’s going to be a tough fight early on and then I feel like Usyk will edge it again. He’s a class operator and I feel like Usyk’s one of the best out there. That’s why I think he’ll win,” Joshua added
A Fury vs. Joshua fight is not as big as it could be now that both fighters have been defeated. But given the rivalry’s long history, there is potential for fans to see a mega clash. That allows fans to see a big domestic clash to decide the best British heavyweight of his era.
When Anthony Joshua walks to the ring to fight Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on September 21, 3,088 days will have passed since Joshua breezed past Charles Martin to first win the famous red belt.
Lots has happened since that night in April 2016 but although things may feel different if he wakes up on Sunday morning with the belt at the end of his bed – for the time being at least – the thought of recapturing his original title doesn’t trigger any particular feelings in Joshua, nor does it hold any special significance.
When Joshua, 28-3 (25 KOs), beat Martin to first win the title it signified much more. It confirmed Joshua’s arrival on the world stage and was the first, significant step towards turning him into the global attraction he developed.
These days, the title belt would be a nice bonus but is part of a much bigger picture. Beating Dubois, 21-2 (20 KOs), won’t kickstart another long run of title defenses but it should earn him a straight shot at the winner of the upcoming rematch between Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury and, depending on boxing politics, a crack at the undisputed heavyweight title for the first time in his career..
“I always say I would always compare and look back when it’s all said and done. At the minute I’m just very chilled. Everything’s a blessing so I just get on with it. It’s an opportunity to fight” Joshua told Queensberry.
“It’s going to be tough, it’s nerve-wracking but in terms of world titles I’m just like, ‘Here today gone tomorrow. Onto the next’ and then when it’s all said and done I’ll like, ‘Oh I remember when I won that and that was amazing and that was amazing,’ but as for now, conqueror’s mindset; win onto the next.”
Joshua and Dubois have a history dating back some seven years. The exact details of what really happened during their much talked about sparring session in Sheffield will probably end up being lost to time but although it probably means little given how much both fighters have changed since, it has certainly left an undercurrent of tension.
If Joshua has slowly changed and evolved as a fighter and person during his time at the top, Dubois’ transformation has been quick and startling. The 26-year-old’s gutsy, stoppage victories over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic cast aside the doubts and questions thrown up by his stoppage defeats to Joe Joyce and Usyk.
Dubois is also beginning to develop that all important aura that a heavyweight champion must possess. He will never be as professional or as slick as Joshua is in front of the cameras but he seems to have decided to be himself and appears much more comfortable as a result.
During a long press day of set piece events to launch the fight, tempers flared as the two came head to head for a round table discussion.
Dubois – buoyed by the way he handled the domineering Filip Hrgovic – had clearly made up his mind not to show the more experienced Joshua even the slightest hint of weakness and refused to be intimidated as Joshua sought to impose his seniority, leaving his seat and warning the younger man that he doesn’t take being disrespected lightly.
Joshua respects the attitude that Dubois is bringing to the fight and revealed that a bit of pre-fight tension helps him become the person he needs to be on fight night.
“Always been that way. This is what I feel people don’t really get to understand what it’s like to do our job,” he said. “It’s a very unique job. The glitz and the glamor of it is very unique but when you strip it down to the core of it, let’s say you’re going to get two men to stand up in the ring in front of people and we want you to fight for 47 minutes. A lot of people couldn’t even fight for two minutes. Start the clock and try and fight – try and throw punches – for two minutes.We’re going to do it for 47 minutes so, yeah, people couldn’t really grasp where that takes us as people but I’m straight warrior mindset the whole time. I’m not here to be friends with anyone.”
Two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is set to face Daniel Dubois for the IBF belt in an all-British showdown at Wembley Stadium in September
Eddie Hearn said any bottled substance that Anthony Joshua consumes is tested beforehand to avoid any attempt of the British boxer ingesting banned substances through surreptitious means.
Joshua is bidding to become a three-time world heavyweight champion on September 21 as he faces Daniel Dubois for the IBF belt in an all-British showdown at Wembley Stadium.
The fight will arrive almost three years to the day since Joshua relinquished his WBO, WBA, IBO and IBF titles to Oleksandr Usyk, and two years since his last world title fight after losing to the Ukrainian in a rematch.
Joshua has won all four of his fights since to galvanise his shot at title redemption.
And according to Hearn, he and his team go to great lengths to avoid any threat to the sanctity of the two-time world heavyweight champion boxing reputation amid a slew of doping scandals involving high-profile boxers in recent years, including two of Joshua’s opponents last year.
Joshua was forced to fight Robert Helenius after Dillian Whyte failed a drugs test, knocking the card down from a pay-per-view bout to a standard DAZN fight.
But the controversy only escalated after Finn also tested positive following Joshua’s seventh-round knockout. Joshua, meanwhile, returned negative tests for his Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) tests.
Both men protested their innocence. And while Helenius was handed a two-year doping ban for violating anti-doping rules, Whyte was cleared to resume his boxing career after it came to light that a contaminated substance resulted in the positive drug test ahead of his battle with Joshua.
And boxing promoter Hearn believes the threat of contamination through unintentional or even devious means is so great to boxers at elite-level, that the 45-year-old has claimed he tests every bottle that comes within touching distance of Joshua.
“I think 20% of failed drugs tests are legitimately fighters that are unlucky or have unknowingly taken a substance,” Heard told GRM Daily’s Thoughts In A Culli. “I think 80% of people cheat. And establishing what’s what is very difficult to do.
“Because fighters are never going to take illegal substances themselves. Someone will come up to them and say, we need to improve your strength and what we can do is take some of this. And maybe they won’t even tell them it’s a banned substance. But a lot of the time people are genuinely cheating.
“And we’re talking about testing to minute trace levels that would be in your blood. And in Mexico, there is a genuine thing where some meat contains testosterone. And fighters test positive for that. Things like eggs, you don’t know what people are putting in animals.
He added: “Whenever I go to a restaurant with AJ, I’m looking at the food thinking, because there’s some horrible —s out there, you put something in that food and your career is over. And imagine, everything that you built, all because of one evil individual, comes crumbling down.
“Here’s another example. After a tough fight, you might get in the ring and someone – either from the other team or wherever – and they’ll come up to you and offer something to drink. What’s in that? Do you know what I mean? I’m not saying that there is anything in there, but there could be.
“So at the top level, like AJ, every bottle is tested. Every bottle is sealed. Nothing comes in the changing room. You have to, because you’re correcting your career, your brand, your reputation. The worst thing in the world is testing positive for having not knowingly taken a substance. Then you’re called a cheat for the rest of your life despite never having done it.
“I’m paranoid in that world because I know what people are like.”
Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA action has been confirmed by the PFL and in a fascinating interview this week, ‘The Predator’ explained what went wrong in his last fight against the boxing world champion.
Almost five months ago to the day, Anthony Joshua landed one of the most brutal knockouts of the year against former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou, on a PPV aptly named ‘Knockout Chaos’.
Well, it turns out that there was plenty of chaos in the days and hours leading up to that superstar spectacle, with ‘The Predator’ now making the accusation that some sneaky tactics were used to throw him off his game.
Francis Ngannou appeared as a guest on ‘The Diary of a CEO’ podcast with Steve Bartlett; a full two-hour long conversation that is truly one of the most fascinating and moving pieces of combat sports media in recent memory.
Towards the end of the episode, the discussion shifted to Ngannou’s boxing fight against Anthony Joshua from March 2024, with the former UFC champion stating that he believes some suspicious ‘tricks’ played on him prior to the opening bell.
“Honestly, in that fight, there was a lot of unfairness… Unlike the Tyson Fury fight [where] everything was straight and everything was fair, no sneaky stuff – but the second one, it was so messy.
“A lot of tricks [were played], like they would get me everywhere that I was going in that [fight] week, but I [would] have to wait at least one hour, one hour and a half for Anthony Joshua to arrive. But they always send a car to pick me up like that amount of [spare] time, even on fight day.”
Ngannou claimed that even on the evening of the heavyweight showdown, he was told to arrive at the Kingdom Arena several hours before he needed to. And that he found it suspicious how after being told by a producer that there was going to be a meaningful delay, Joshua still arrived exactly on time.
“I stayed in the locker room for four hours and a half, they sent a car to pick me up at 10:30 because they told me I was supposed to fight around midnight to 1 AM… And I was like ‘Okay good, this is how it works’, but you get to the arena and there’s a producer like ‘Oh we are running behind on the broadcasting so we might be fighting at 1:45.’
“I’m like ‘Okay, that’s not that bad, I’ve been training to fight in that time frame around 1 AM’… Bro, we are sitting there and watching Anthony Joshua arriving to the arena at 1:30 – like how can you tell me that?
“You guys told me that I was going to fight around midnight, and [then] 1 o’clock or that it’s delayed and he’s now just arriving? Stuff like that they did a lot.”
When asked if he believes that someone was purposefully trying to make him frustrated and fatigued to put him at a critical disadvantage, Ngannou simply stated: “Yes, the whole week was like that.”
“I mean I think it’s a trick that I didn’t know before, but it’s a trick that they have in boxing, they have a lot of tricks, like during the week, my coach is a very calm person, but he was really mad and yelling about it.
“I didn’t know how deep the problem was until I get in the final set, then I’m like ‘Okay this is serious’ but then it was too late… I was sleeping, I was in the locker room warming up and falling asleep.”
Whilst Ngannou did acknowledge that Joshua was simply the better man on the night and that he holds no animosity towards the British boxing legend, he did note that the constant delays might have impacted the result.
“Personally, I take that loss, but I don’t put it in the context [of my career] … It could have been different – I still think that I could’ve beaten him, I don’t know.”
Speaking on Francis Ngannou’s fighting career; the iconic story continues as the PFL officially confirmed earlier this week that ‘The Predator’ will make his long-awaited return to MMA action on October 19.
His first MMA bout since a unanimous decision win over Ciryl Gane back in 2022, Ngannou’s return fight is certainly no easy task as he draws PFL king Renan ‘Problema’ Ferreira.
The Brazilian juggernaut is known as one of the most feared heavyweights in the world, standing at 6ft 8″ tall with a whopping 11 of his 13 wins ending via knockout; yet Ngannou has already compared Ferreira to the aforementioned Gane, both in terms of his stature and fighting style.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
HE'S BACK! 👑The Return of @francis_ngannou 4⃣𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 2⃣𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗧𝗦 𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘 1⃣Gigantic night of MMA
“In terms of style, I think he might be more like Ciryl Gane’s style,” he told Sky Sports Boxing.
“Moving fast and all that stuff, or even better [than Gane] because he has long range and he knows how to use it with very fast hands… He’s unique as an opponent.”
Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira is scheduled for October 19, PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants and will be available to watch online via Pay-Per-View.
DANIEL DUBOIS INTENDS TO ‘SLAY THE KING’ AND ‘MAKE A FOOL’ OF ANTHONY JOSHUA IN IBF WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT
Daniel Dubois has not held back in the build-up to his date of destiny, saying that he wants to “make a fool” of IBF world heavyweight title challenger Anthony Joshua. With Oleksandr Usky vacating the belt to face off once more against Tyson Fury, Dubois is ready to “slay the king” at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, September 21.
Daniel Dubois says he intends to “make a fool” out of Anthony Joshua ahead of their IBF world heavyweight title showdown.
Due to face off at Wembley stadium on Saturday, September 21, Dubois was in a bullish mood in a video released on promoter Queensberry’s YouTube channel.
After former undisputed champion of the world Oleksandr Usyk vacated his IBF belt to rematch Tyson Fury in December, Dubois was upgraded to interim champion.
And the 26-year-old was unequivocal in his intentions for the bout, which he called “definitely bigger” than his defeat to Usyk in August of last year.
“I’m not here to talk foolishness,” said Dubois. “But I want to make a fool out of AJ by knocking him out and put all the doubters and the critics to sleep.
“This is definitely bigger than the Usyk fight. This is definitely the lion’s den, this one.
“Topping a bill with a major elite fighter, a guy that’s been up there for a long time, now I feel like it’s the right time to knock him off that pedestal and take the front.
“I looked at him as the guy that’s leading the way for British fighters, British heavyweights, British boxing.
“So he’s been the king for a long time, and now is my time. I need to dethrone the king and slay the king, and that’s what I’m going to have to do.”
‘Dynamite’ hit the headlines in June by announcing that he floored Joshua in sparring, when the latter had just turned professional.
Joshua strenuously denied the claims, though admitted that Dubois had “cracked” him.
But the latter insisted that he was tougher, both physically and mentally, than he was seven years ago.
Dubois said: “I’m a different guy now. Harder punching and stronger will and that’s what this fight is going to come down to, the spirit and the will of each fighter.”
Dubois’ last fight saw him defeat Filip Hrgovic via TKO and become the IBF interim champion.
After taking several heavy blows, Dubois grew into the contest and looked to have gained the upper hand before cuts above both Hrgovic’s eyes brought a halt to proceedings.
And he questioned Joshua’s ability to withstand the force of the Croatian and recover as he did.
“I won’t take them shots,” promised Dubois. “Hrgovic is completely different to AJ. The way he throws his shots, it’s smooth, he’s light and he’s quick. So it took me a while to get the hang of it.
“If you look at the fight properly I was slipping, just subtly sometimes and doing what I had to do to win and that’s what I’m going to have to do again.
“Break Joshua, break what’s in front of me down and get a victory by any means necessary. Could he take them shots Hrgovic was throwing?”
Daniel Dubois has won the hearts of boxing fans around the globe for his likeable character and determination in the face of adversity – despite being previously criticised for a lack of grit in the past.
As the biggest fight of his life approaches, Dubois has addressed concerns that he takes too many shots ahead of a domestic dust-up against the hard-hitting Anthony Joshua.
‘Triple D’ was unsuccessful in his unified title bid against Oleksandr Usyk twelve months ago, taking a knee for the second time in his career and accepting a knockout defeat, much to the disappointment of British fight fans. However, those who were suspicious of his will in the ring were soon proven wrong, as Dubois bounced back with consecutive career-best stoppage wins of his own against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic, the latter seeing him pick up the IBF interim title, which was later upgraded to the full world title.
During that contest, many viewers took notice of how much punishment Dubois was subject to during the early stages of the contest, eating an eyewatering 35 power punches in the opening two rounds alone. Meanwhile, Joshua needed to land just five power punches to stop Francis Ngannou in February.
Consequently, former British champion David Price declared that if Dubois was as easy to hit against Joshua as he was against the Croatian, he would expect ‘AJ’ to get the job done without the judges’ intervention.
“He is easy to hit with a right-hand, we saw that in the Hrgovic fight, he was catching him repeatedly with the right-hand but he was walking through them. I think that it is a different story with Anthony Joshua and I think that ‘AJ’ is probably going to win late on.”
Whilst admitting that he took too many right-hands, Dubois boasted of how he fought through the fire and aims to do the same in six weeks’ time, before adding doubt as to whether Joshua’s chin could have coped with the same blows, in an interview with Queensberry Promotions.
“I won’t take them shots. Hrgovic is completely different to AJ, the way that he throws his shots is smooth, he is light and he is quick, he doesn’t load up or anything. It took me a while to get the hang of it but I found a way to deal with it. If you look at the fight properly, I was slipping, just subtly sometimes, doing what I had to do to win.
“That is what I am going to have to do again, break Joshua up, break down what is in front of me and get the victory by any means necessary.
“Could he [Joshua] take them shots that Hrgovic was throwing? Everyone has got an opinion. Let them get on with it. Now it is time to do the work and see what they [the naysayers] say after this one.”
Joshua-Dubois takes place at Wembley Stadium on September 21st, topping a blockbuster bill that features a plethora of British talent.
Maybe now years on, as long as he’s trained and well rested and in shape, maybe 250 lbs. and above is a good weight for Joshua moving forward post Usyk.
Full hydrated and ready to fight.
His power against Ngannou was there again too.
He was 252.5 lbs. that night.
So anything between there and 250 lbs. seems to now suit the Anthony Joshua weight as a pro.
People forget he learned his craft late on the job as a world champion in pro boxing with a limited amateur career even though he won Olympic gold, he didn’t have that many amateur fights.
Now that he’s settled down in his style in the pros, yes, stick to your boxing and everything you learned but don’t forget what you are good at — fast, powerful, accurate shots — where power does count in the heavyweight division.
A little extra weight over 250 lbs. has shown to be a good thing in Joshua’s career, overall, by this point.
Anthony Joshua’s refusal to fight Zhilei Zhang is ‘worst kept secret’ says Chinese contender’s co-manager Terry Lane
Zhilei Zhang’s team believe Anthony Joshua has tried to ‘avoid’ a professional fight; the British star floored and defeated Zhang on points at the London 2012 Olympic Games; Joshua challenges Daniel Dubois for IBF title at Wembley on September 21
Joshua is preparing to challenge British rival Daniel Dubois for the IBF title at Wembley Stadium on September 21, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Zhang was floored and outpointed by Joshua at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but the big-punching southpaw has been unable to secure a revenge bout with his amateur rival in the professional ranks after a string of impressive wins, including an explosive knockout of Deontay Wilder in June.
“I think it’s the worst kept secret in boxing that AJ wants no part of Zhilei,” Lane told Sky Sports.
“There’s been opportunities for them to fight.
“It’s just very clear that there’s no interest on AJ’s end, he just wants to avoid the fight, which is unfortunate.”
Sky Sports understands Joshua believes rivals are using his name to ‘stay relevant’ as he bids to become a world heavyweight champion for a third time against Dubois.
Zhang had previously been linked with a fight against Tyson Fury following his back-to-back stoppage wins over Joe Joyce.
With Fury set to face Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch on December 21, Zhang will be watching with interest to see who emerges with the WBC, WBA and WBO belts.
“A world title shot is the aim,” said Lane.
“AJ and Fury are the main desires for Zhang – those are two guys he wants to fight.
“I don’t know if Usyk is serious about moving back down to cruiserweight, but I think Zhilei has more than earned a shot against Fury and AJ.
“The problem with Zhilei is he’s feared. He’s a risky fight for anybody, a big-punching southpaw.
“He ruined the plans for Joyce to fight Fury and he ruined the plans for Deontay Wilder to fight AJ, so he’s known as a risky party pooper, spoiler, so getting these guys in the ring is proving to be tough.”
Zhang’s attempt to enforce a WBO title shot was derailed by a points loss to Joseph Parker, but Lane insists the recent victory over Wilder should earn a fight against the Usyk-Fury rematch winner or Joshua.
“Obviously, we would love a rematch with Parker and getting a chance to get the WBO interim title back, but we consider Zhilei already in title contention with his rankings across the board in all of the sanctioning bodies, said Lane.”
“I think he’s top four or five in all of them, as he should be, so we think he’s already in title contention and he’s earned a shot regardless of whether the Parker rematch happens next or not.”
