Tyson Fury is all set for his blockbuster undisputed showdown with Oleksandr Usyk, but there is one man biding his time, promising that he will put ‘The Gypsy King’ to sleep.
Fury’s clash with Usyk takes place on February 17, and a rematch clause will likely mean that the WBC heavyweight champion will not take on an alternative heavyweight until late 2024 or even 2025.
That hasn’t stopped one man making his intentions perfectly clear. Fresh from his two stoppage victories over Joe Joyce, Zhilei Zhang is waiting in the wings.
As the WBO Interim Champion, Zhang will become the mandatory challenger for the victor of Fury-Usyk unless the title is vacated, but he will be made to wait for his shot at the winner due to the expected second fight.
Nevertheless, Zhang told The Daily Mail of his confidence in a proposed bout against Fury, who he believes to be on the decline following his performance against Francis Ngannou.
“With the performance Fury had against Ngannou, that says a lot about his mindset. I don’t think his mind is in boxing right now.
“He’s in marketing, he’s in PR. He’s in all this stuff, but he’s not in boxing. You can’t fool training. You have to do it daily.
“People call me a hypnotist – I can put people to sleep. I don’t mind giving him a good sleep. I think his father is correct, he is declining if his focus is outside of the ring. He could incline again – if he focuses on the ring and the gym.”
Fury-Usyk will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The WBO are likely to determine Zhang’s next move amid his bid to become China’s first heavyweight champion.