British heavyweight veteran, Derek Chisora, has called for a fight with new WBO interim champion, Zhilei Zhang, in the wake of the upset victory over Joe Joyce.
Zhang dished out enough damage to cause the eye of Joyce to close up, leaving referee, Howard Foster, with no choice but to call an end to the contest and award the man from China with a sixth-round TKO victory.
With the win Zhang has now become the WBO’s mandatory challenger and is in a strong position to fight for the world title within the next eighteen months, however that position also brings a target for the rest of the division.
Chisora was quick to lay his claim for a clash with Zhang, despite many fans wanting to see him to hang up the gloves, with concerns over his health. Nevertheless, the 42-year-old, who fought for the world title in December, posted a fight poster on social media for a clash with ‘Big Bang’.
I want this fight. Chinese power 🇬🇧🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/jB9hsgp165
— Derek Chisora 🥊 (@DerekWarChisora) April 15, 2023
There may well be fighters who would reward Zhang with a larger pay-day than Chisora, with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder all currently without a scheduled opponent, with Zhang himself making it clear he wants Fury in China next.
The main stumbling block for any future fight for Zhang is that Joe Joyce holds a rematch clause that he may well activate, in order to seek vengeance for his first career defeat. Although, it is questionable whether he will want to face the 39-year-old again, after such a damaging defeat, and the injury to his eye could even stop him from being able to do so anytime soon.