Hence, Paul mimicked Tyson’s famous words from his famous post-fight interview after he defeated Lou Savarese in 38 seconds. Instead of trash talking, Paul is doing provocative mimicry and using Tyson’s own words to hype a ‘brutal battle’.
The lawsuit drew attention to issues of intellectual property rights and the use of tattoos for commercial purposes. Although the case was eventually settled out of court, it raised important questions about the rights of tattoo artists and their work.
It’s just not popular. Not yet anyway. China has 1.4 billion people, but, says promoter Bob Arum, “that doesn’t mean anything. India has number of people, and you couldn’t sell a ticket to Mahatma Gandhi fighting for the title.” In 2013, Arum signed Zou Shiming, Zhang’s Olympic teammate. The relationship was successful, with Zou even winning a 112-pound title. But he failed to capture national interest. “The problem was the guy couldn’t f—ing fight,” says Arum. “He won two gold medals, I don’t know how, but he couldn’t fight.” Zhang, Arum says, is different. “Heavyweights are the baddest guys in the world,” says Arum. “And I think his ability is much greater than Zou’s was.”
In conclusion, Zhang Zhilei is a heavyweight boxer who has earned himself a place among the world’s top boxers in his division. His 24-1-1 record and 19 knockouts attest to his incredible athleticism and ultimate power. With an upcoming title fight against Joe Joyce, boxing enthusiasts and fans across the globe are looking forward to witnessing the fight and perhaps see if Zhilei can add a title defense to his impressive record.
In 2015, Zhang was signed to Roc Nation Sports, which Dino Duva also joined as an employee and boxing executive. Roc Nation, a music promoter, entered the boxing market in August 2014 with money but no plan. David Itskowitch, Roc Nation’s founding chief operating officer of boxing, abruptly resigned in July 2016 and Duva’s influence grew after. Roc Nation’s boxing division was in quick decline from 2018, all but ceased working in 2019 and closed down in 2020.
Paul built a significant fan following as a YouTube influencer and turned professional in boxing four years ago. He has won nine of 10 fights with six knockouts against mostly undistinguished opponents. His only loss came last year to Tommy Fury, half-brother of WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury.
Zhang, among the best boxers of his coveted weight division, was born in Zhoukou in central China’s Henan Province. Still representing China, he decided to move to the U.S. to try to achieve his dream of becoming his country’s first heavyweight world champion.
Tyson has been sharing clips and photos from training, including several shirtless photos showing off his ripped physique. Many have wondered if Tyson would be healthy enough at 58 to fight Paul, who is just 27, but little by little those questions appear to be growing smaller. While appearing at a meet-and-greet event for Fiterman Sports Group in Chantilly, Virginia, Tyson took photos without a shirt.
On April 29, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations confirmed it approved the fighters’ request, and the bout will be a sanctioned, professional fight. The bout will consist of 8 2-minute rounds with 14-ounce gloves.
Wilder vs. Zhang headlines the Team Matchroom (Wilder) vs. Team Queensberry (Zhang) portion of the event, which also sees Filip Hrgovic (247.4) take on Daniel Dubois (245.8) and WBA featherweight champion Raymond Ford (125.4) defending against Nick Ball (125.8)
At age seven, Zhang and his father moved to downtown Shenqiu County for educational reasons. Zhang later attended Shenqiu’s Huaidian Hui Town No.3 Middle School. His father enrolled him in canoe sprinting lessons in order for him to lose weight. The Zhoukou region was a hotbed of watersports in the 1990s, with Olympic rower Mu Suli, born the same year as Zhang, growing up in a different part of Zhoukou during the 1990s.
The 2008 Olympic silver medalist from China, began his career later than most division champion in boxing, turning professional at 31. He steadily worked his way up the heavyweight division until securing a fight with Filip Hrgovic, who features on the undercard, in 2022.
Which raises the question: Can Zhang open up the Chinese market? His visibility there is growing. Zhang has 2.3 million followers on Douyin, China’s equivalent to TikTok. Both Joyce fights were streamed on Douyin, available for $1 as a pay-per-view. “It got pirated more than it got bought,” says Terry. “But the number of views was in the tens of millions.”
“I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,” Tyson said in a statement. “He’s grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT. It’s a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch; as I started him off on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”
