Zhilei Zhang is set to return to the ring for the first time since his knockout of the year contender against Joe Joyce back in September.
It was the second victory over Joyce in the space of five months, and cemented ‘Big Bang’s year as one of the best in the heavyweight division.
Those two wins over the previously unstoppable Joyce see the 40-year-old from Zhoukou, China knocking on the door of a world title shot as WBO mandatory challenger.
Whilst the belts are tied up with Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed fight against Tyson Fury, Zhang has promised fans he will keep busy in significant contests. Come March 8, he’s slated to do just that.
Declan Taylor of Boxing News first reported Zhang would face one Joseph Parker on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s ten-rounder against Francis Ngannou.
The bout, set to be announced imminently, will be Parker’s fifth in fifteen months, the latest of which was a career-best win over Deontay Wilder – the man Zhang was rumoured to face recently.
At 32-years-old, the New Zealand native has catapulted himself back to the top of the division by nullifying Wilder’s power and beating him handily over the distance.
Zhang presents another tough test, and will be Parker’s first outing against a southpaw since Jason Bergman in 2016. More undercard details for the event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia are expected soon.