Zhilei Zhang was the standout heavyweight of 2023.
The 41-year-old southpaw stopped the previously-unstoppable Joe Joyce not once but twice over the course of twelve months, snatching the number one spot with the WBO and cementing himself as one of the hardest punchers in the division.
His late rise was stunted by a dialled-in Joseph Parker earlier this year who, despite being dropped by ‘Big Bang’ twice, rallied to win by majority decision. Zhang bounced back with a statement stoppage against Deontay Wilder.
There is a rematch clause that is the man from Zhoukou, China’s to activate and it looked set to be his next fight, with promoter Frank Warren confirming the plan.
That was until Martin Bakole – whose self-proclaimed title of ‘the most avoided man on the planet’ is becoming hard to argue with – put in a flawless win over America’s rising heavyweight star, Jared Anderson.
That fifth round knockout put Bakole on the map and grew his reputation from the man who claims to have stopped all the top dogs in sparring to the man who may just beat them all in the ring.
The potential of a Bakole-Zhang fight was immediately floated, the styles and attributes of the two giant heavyweights being immediately recognised as one of the best match-ups in the division.
Neither man has shied away from the idea, but Bakole has been more forceful in his calls for it. He now has the backing of Riyadh Season’s Turki Alalshikh, who has stated he wants to make the fight in either China or Africa.
Despite that update, Warren told S.O this week that ‘at the moment Zhilei has called for the rematch with Parker, so we’ll see.’ Warren did add that ‘anything is possible’ and that news would be coming in the next few weeks.
For the vast majority of fans and pundits there is little question as to who Zhang should face. The Bakole fight provides a fresh match-up and an unmissable combination of extreme power and fearlessness.
Parker, who has secured his place at the top table with the Zhang win and another against Wilder, may instead be matched up with the likes of Agit Kabayel or Jarrell Miller.
