Chinese Heavyweight Zhilei Zhang says he is targeting a future showdown with Anthony Joshua in China.
Zhang (22-0, 17 KOs) tackles Jerry Forrest on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez’s WBA ‘Super’, WBC and Ring Magazine Super Middleweight title defence against Avni Yildirim at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Saturday, live on DAZN.
‘Big Bang’, who is ranked at #8 by the WBO is keen to face renew his rivalry with unified WBA ‘Super’, IBF, WBO and IBO Heavyweight world champion, Joshua, who beat him in the 2012 Olympics and stands on the cusp of an undisputed title fight with WBC titlist, Tyson Fury later this year, with talks continuing between both teams.
“I would love to fight AJ in China because of our amateur backgrounds,” Zhang told Matchroom Boxing.
“The venue is there, the Bird’s Nest holds 100,000, so we have it all. Beijing and Shanghai are the biggest cities, very economically developed and boxing in China is growing.
“The sports fans there like boxing, they like AJ, so if we can make it happen it would be huge for boxing.”
Zhang returns after knocking out Devin Vargas in four rounds in November to extend his unbeaten streak to 22-0.
The 37-year-old admits he is relishing the prospect of featuring on the undercard of four-weight world champion, Canelo with the hope of securing bigger fights in 2021, should he overcome Forrest, who was beaten on points by Carlos Takam in July.
“I took a week off after the last fight and was right back into the gym. Shaun George is a great trainer, he’s very professional and dedicated, Terry and Tommy Lane my advisors are making things happen on their end and the whole team have made this camp great and it’s gone so well.
“It was a good performance last time out but we’ve seen what I can do better and in this camp we’ve focused on that, and we have also worked on becoming stronger so I will be prepared for Jerry.
“Jerry has a good record and I respect him a lot. We’ve studied him and know all about him. I hope that when it comes to the fight, we put on a good show for the fans.
“I’m excited to be on the same card as Canelo, he’s an amazing fighter in the ring and a great businessman outside the ring. It’s a big plus and it gives me the chance to showcase my skills to a huge audience and build to bigger fights later in the year.”
Zhang vs Forrest features on the Canelo Alvarez vs Avni Yildirim undercard on Saturday, live on DAZN.
