THE heavyweight division will offer a tasty showdown as part of the undercard between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.
Fresh off a career-boosting victory over Deontay Wilder last month, Joseph Parker will face Zhilei Zhang, who crushed Joe Joyce’s lofty ambitions twice in 2023.
With last month’s Doomsday event in Riyadh bringing an uneventful division to life, pulses are racing in 2024. Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury scheduled for February 17, Joshua returns against the man he almost beat to Fury and now there is the addition of Parker. against Zhang.
Zhang’s performances against Joyce last year, including a shocking third-round knockout victory, propelled the Chinese fighter to the top of the heavyweight business.
For the heavyweight superfight between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder to happen in 2024, all Wilder had to do was beat Joseph Parker last month. The New Zealander shattered plans that would have seen the fight announced that night by outpointing the American in 12 rounds.
In an interview with Boxing News this month, Parker revealed that a fight with Zhang had been agreed upon before the offer to face Wilder came in.
“Before signing the fight with Wilder, Zhang and I were already determined to fight,” Parker said. “I already agreed to the terms. So, I don’t think it’s a difficult fight to make.”
Speculation had also linked Zhang with a fight against Wilder on the Joshua-Ngannou undercard, but instead the 40-year-old will face the former WBO belt holder.
The March 9 main event pits Joshua, fresh off his impressive knockout victory over Otto Wallin, against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Scheduled for 10 rounds, the matchup gives Joshua the chance to outdo Fury, his long-term rival, who bested Ngannou last October. A fight that was expected to be a walk in the park for the WBC belt holder was anything but and in the third round, Fury was knocked down by the debutant. However, after 10 rounds, Fury received a split decision much to his relief.
