Zhilei Zhang has a vested interest in the outcome of the recently signed undisputed world heavyweight title bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
It is a fight the whole world wants to see, but for ‘Big Bang’ the outcome could well reveal who he is to square up against next.
Ever since beating Joe Joyce for a second time – and in even more impressive knockout fashion – he has cemented his status as Usyk’s WBO mandatory challenger, and he has also often spoken of his desire to fight Fury, who currently holds the WBC belt.
In an interview with Pro Box TV, Zhang said he thinks that the Brit’s size will be the deciding factor in the fight, which is a view shared by fellow heavyweight and former Fury opponent, Deontay Wilder.
“Usyk has a lot of skill, and his skill set is unbelievable. But Tyson Fury’s got almost every advantage you can get. The height. The reach. The distance, and the slickness. Tyson Fury prevails. But we’ll see.”
Usyk has scored back-to-back wins over Anthony Joshua across 21 hard-fought rounds, and most recently stopped Daniel Dubois in Poland to retain his belts.
Fury is yet to fight to his year. His last outing was a straightforward knockout of Derek Chisora in December of 2022, and he is set to face MMA fighter Francis Ngannou on October 28 out in Riyadh just eight weeks before the potential December 23 fight with Usyk. The solid date is expected to be announced immediately after his crossover bout.
Whoever takes the win, and depending on any rematch classes that have not yet been officially revealed, they might well find themselves having to face Zhang next.