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When Zhang Zhilei knocked out Joe Joyce at London's Copper Box Arena in April the Chinese heavyweight boxer became an overnight superstar in his homeland, where millions of people watched the fight in the early hours of the morning.
Zhang, who was born and raised in China's Henan Province but now lives and trains in the U.S. state of New Jersey, has had to be patient to attract the attention of fans in his homeland as he's worked his way up the heavyweight rankings.
His first contest with Joyce at last gave him the opportunity to showcase his ability against a high profile opponent. The bout drew a record crowd of 5,600 people at the Copper Box and a huge TV audience back in China, where boxing has typically struggled to generate mainstream attention.
"There were roughly 50-60 million people who watched the fight and the highlights across TV and social media," Zhang's promoter Terry Lane told CGTN. "If you include the hashtag associated with the fight that was trending across Chinese social media, there were 300 million mentions - that was people providing their own commentary, sharing posts etc. That's roughly the population of the U.S."
Zhang takes on Joyce in a rematch at Wembley Arena on Saturday night. The fight could be a sellout in London and Lane is anticipating even more interest in China as the 40-year-old looks to close in on a shot at one of the division's world champions.
"We definitely expect more views this time," says Lane. "But the timing of the fight doesn't help us, it's 5-6am in China. We really hope that moving forward we can have a big fight that's shown at a better time for Chinese fans, but we're very happy with how many people are watching him, he's become a big star."
Zhang's focus is firmly on proving that his one-sided victory over Joyce, which ended via a technical knockout in the sixth round of April's contest, was more than just a one-off. If he's successful on Saturday night, he says he wants to test himself against the division's elite fighters.
"If I have the opportunity, I would like to fight in one of the world's top boxing championships in China," he says to CGTN. "Whether it is Tyson Fury or another elite heavyweight, it can all be done in China. If conditions permit, I hope to compete in China."
If a fight with Fury does materialize then Zhang is hopeful it will inspire a new generation of Chinese fighters to follow in his footsteps and pursue a career in the sport, which he says is growing in popularity.
"Nowadays, the promotion of boxing in China has increased a lot compared to before," he explains. "Many young people have paid attention to boxing and professional boxing. Many teenagers like this sport.
"As far as I know, there are many boxing gyms in China, large and small, everywhere. I hope that one day boxing in China will be as popular as table tennis in China. I think boxing really symbolizes manly strength and that's what boys should do."
Four months ago Zhang screamed the words "Chinese power" towards the TV cameras at ringside as he celebrated his shock victory. On Saturday he will hope to do so again in the knowledge that tens of millions of people will be celebrating with him back home.
Zhang, who was born and raised in China's Henan Province but now lives and trains in the U.S. state of New Jersey, has had to be patient to attract the attention of fans in his homeland as he's worked his way up the heavyweight rankings.
His first contest with Joyce at last gave him the opportunity to showcase his ability against a high profile opponent. The bout drew a record crowd of 5,600 people at the Copper Box and a huge TV audience back in China, where boxing has typically struggled to generate mainstream attention.
"There were roughly 50-60 million people who watched the fight and the highlights across TV and social media," Zhang's promoter Terry Lane told CGTN. "If you include the hashtag associated with the fight that was trending across Chinese social media, there were 300 million mentions - that was people providing their own commentary, sharing posts etc. That's roughly the population of the U.S."
Zhang takes on Joyce in a rematch at Wembley Arena on Saturday night. The fight could be a sellout in London and Lane is anticipating even more interest in China as the 40-year-old looks to close in on a shot at one of the division's world champions.
"We definitely expect more views this time," says Lane. "But the timing of the fight doesn't help us, it's 5-6am in China. We really hope that moving forward we can have a big fight that's shown at a better time for Chinese fans, but we're very happy with how many people are watching him, he's become a big star."
Zhang's focus is firmly on proving that his one-sided victory over Joyce, which ended via a technical knockout in the sixth round of April's contest, was more than just a one-off. If he's successful on Saturday night, he says he wants to test himself against the division's elite fighters.
"If I have the opportunity, I would like to fight in one of the world's top boxing championships in China," he says to CGTN. "Whether it is Tyson Fury or another elite heavyweight, it can all be done in China. If conditions permit, I hope to compete in China."
If a fight with Fury does materialize then Zhang is hopeful it will inspire a new generation of Chinese fighters to follow in his footsteps and pursue a career in the sport, which he says is growing in popularity.
"Nowadays, the promotion of boxing in China has increased a lot compared to before," he explains. "Many young people have paid attention to boxing and professional boxing. Many teenagers like this sport.
"As far as I know, there are many boxing gyms in China, large and small, everywhere. I hope that one day boxing in China will be as popular as table tennis in China. I think boxing really symbolizes manly strength and that's what boys should do."
Four months ago Zhang screamed the words "Chinese power" towards the TV cameras at ringside as he celebrated his shock victory. On Saturday he will hope to do so again in the knowledge that tens of millions of people will be celebrating with him back home.
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