I really dont think that now at his age Zhang can ever come in lighter than 290. His mind and body is set so stamina is always going to be an issue. Despite his heavy hands Zhang has no future in the Heavyweight division. Too late now. Someone else here pointed out he has discipline issues (mostly with diet and training) and I think that is the main issue with him. He has been living in the US for years now and has made a fortune and enjoyed all that America has to offer..yet he hasnt bothered to learn English. That reeks of a lack of effort and the discipline to engage fully with a culture that has welcomed him. Perhaps this is why he has been around for a long time as a fighter but never really pushed himself into contention until the Joyce bouts. The hunger is not quite there. A shame as he is a natural boxer with real power and a crafty thinker. Somewhat lazy though.
I dont see any point in a Zhang rematch. Parker essentially won 10 of the 12 rounds. Interestingly in the post fight interviews Warren more or less dismissed the notion of a rematch with Zhang. Would there even be a gate for that fight? I really dont think the KSA would front up with the cash for it. I have always wanted Parker to have a rematch with Whyte. That was a badly referred contest. The ref allowed Whyte to foul throughout the entire match including the headbutt which put Parker on the deck. There is some payback there but not in the UK. Notice that Parker's best fights have been outside of the country. So Dillon Whyte is my pick for the next opponent.
That was a much more impressive victory than the one over Wilder. It surprised me as I thought Parker was fighting again far too soon after Wilder. He would have had only about 4 weeks break prior to getting back into training. It was a deserved win as apart from the 2 knockdowns he simply outboxed Zhang. The Chinese fighter has no real future in the division. He continues to gas out in the later rounds. Huge credit for Parker for showing composure and believing totally in his corner. That was a team effort. Hopefully Parker gets a longer break now and I suspect the next Zhang fight is slightly easier with the same outcome. Parker now knows his correct fighting weight and how to keep in tip top condition. Zhang will not improve his conditioning and possibly it will go backwards. That was a much harder fight for him than against the Croat. Zhang took too much punishment in this fight for a 41 year old man. I think he is cooked. Congrats to Parker. Impressive display of guts and determination. He was so much hungier than that fake Chinese tiger.
At some stage to be the best you have to fight the best. So why put it off if you're feeling your best and on a roll ?
Someone has to take on all comers and clear the division. Parker is up for it, let him try.
He won't die wondering what if...damn that's admirable!!!
Yes I like the sentiment though there is an element of harum scarum about Parker and his team wanting to take on Zhang with limited preparation. I remember beginning in 1972 Ali took on all comers over a 12 month period. He fought and won against Mac Foster, George Chuvalo, Jerry Quarry, Alvin Blue Lewis, Floyd Patterson, Bob Foster and Joe Bugner. His next fight he lost and had his jaw broken by Ken Norton. Ali had become stale and developed poor habits. He almost blew a multi million dollar purse for a rematch vs Joe Frazier. Luckily for Ali, Foreman demolished Frazier in 2 rounds and opened up a whole new picture. While Parker is no Ali, he also risks losing a massive gate against Joshua or Uysk. If Parker gets knocked clean out in 2 rounds by a Zhang right cross he can forget his boxing future. I wish him luck and have to trust his team but it looks slightly foolish to agree to this so early.
Fury is Fury. There is no heavyweight like him. Ever. I just cannot count this guy out in virtually any contest. A difficult boxer to try and get your head around. Yet he keeps winning. Keeps getting knocked down. Keeps getting up. Has sublime boxing skills and yet looks ungainly and compared to great Heavyweight champions of the past and simply looks fat. Ernie Terrell was the same height as Tyson and yet only weighed in at 218lbs. Terrell won a nonsense title in the 1960s and badly beaten by Ali but fought virtually all the top contenders and won most in his era. Usyk might possibly be the more skilled boxer but will he know how to counter the unpredictable Fury? Joshua about the same size as Tyson fought Usyk like a wooden cut-out. I see Fury, if he is 'on', being too big and savvy for Usyk and winning by TKO. Joshua did have Usyk in trouble in their 2nd fight but couldnt or wouldnt press forward. Fury will look to bully the much smaller man and be far less respectful.
It's not foolish. It's brave and ballsy. Long live the fighters!
Yea.......but that didnt pan out too well for Jerry Quarry or his brother Mike. And all the others. But yep go Joe Parker!
This happens in boxing. It happens in every sport. Athletes get injured and events are postponed. Its not an instagram event or getting upset that your wifi is slow. History takes its time. Ali had to cancel his 2nd fight versus Liston in October 1964 because of a hernia. Just a week or so before the fight. Delayed until early 1965. No one ever mentions that now just the KO of Liston in Round one. Liston was also in peak condition in Oct 1964 but couldnt get back to that level after the postponement. Ali vs Foreman was delayed for a number of months in 1974 because Foreman suffered a cut on his eye..virtually in the same place and similar to Furys. Apparently Foreman was not in great shape at the time and rumours persisted it was deliberately cut by Dick Saddler his trainer. No one ever talks about the delay now. Just the eight round KO Ali scored. Fury and Usyk will fight and whatever the result this postponement will be forgotten. There are plenty of other major sports event to watch so I just dont understand all the whinning on this thread. Move on.
I would have to seriously question Usyk 's coach lack of judgement by calling Fury a coward. So great that Fury replies directly to him on the video link in a threatening manner and to see the trainer shit himself and back right down immediately in front of Usyk sitting next to him. What other stupid things is he telling Usyk or advising in the camp? He got called out in public and made his fighter look silly. He has now just given the unpredictable Fury all the extra motivation he needs and undermined Usyk. I see Fury knocking him out in about the eight round on May 18.
Interesting guy this Anthony Joshua. He has achieved a huge amount in his relatively short career and deserves respect for that. Trying different trainers is a risky move but also shows his ability for the unorthodox. Not many top boxers would have the courage to make those changes. However the trainers cant fix Joshua's psychological state of mind. That one punch by Ruiz onto the back of his head completely unraveled him. That was a terrible and shocking defeat. Joshua was belted from pillar to post afterwards and couldnt handle it. He quit in that fight. It was his 'no mas'. He is showing courage and commitment by continuing and attempting to seek redemption but that Ruiz defeat will haunt him and unfortunately define his career. The ugly body beating up the beautiful body. 1000 trainers cant fix that. Losing to Usyk twice is no great shame but Joshua was passive in those contests. Have to admire his desire to continue and trying out new things but the suspicion is that up against the top level fighters with heavy hands he would revert to being defensive.
I was very surprised and it is interesting that Zhang said the same thing about Parker agreeing to this fight so very very soon after his fight vs Wilder. Less than a month earlier. I would have to put my trust in Parker's camp and mostly his trainer. Parker does not need this fight. He could easily have sat back and watched all the others beat up on each other. He was in the drivers seat and could pick any fight when suited him. He has far more to lose here than Zhang. So if Parkers team agreed to this fight immediately they must know something about a weakness with Zhang which gives them a lot of confidence. Parker fought Whyte only a few months after his loss to Joshua. Was he over trained? While that result was disputable because of a knockdown which was actually a headbutt, Parker was bullied and knocked down genuinely during the bout. Perhaps the money offer was too great for the fight against Zhang to ignore but Parker would have been able to name his price throughout this year. Parker's camp totally believe their guy can take Zhang out. We shall see.