1. Zhilei Zhang held the World Boxing Organization interim heavyweight title from 2023 to 2024.
85 Facts About Zhilei Zhang
1. 2.
Zhilei Zhang's career stalled from 2009 to 2019 by a combination of his belated release from the Chinese boxing authorities to turn professional, the managerial and legal fiasco of two successive fringe promotional companies, and his visa problems.
3.
Zhilei Zhang considered his fight with Jerry Forrest in 2021 to be the landmark moment of his career until that point.
4.
Zhilei Zhang was born on May 2,1983, in Qianzhangying village, Shicaoji Township, Shenqiu County, Zhoukou, Henan Province, China.
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In 2020, while Zhilei Zhang made a rare visit back home the day after Chinese New Year, his father died of a sudden cardiac arrest at home during COVID-19 lockdown in China.
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Zhilei Zhang mistakenly believed his father to be choking and attempted the Heimlich maneuver to no avail.
7.
Zhilei Zhang later attended Shenqiu's Huaidian Hui Town No 3 Middle School.
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Zhilei Zhang's father enrolled him in canoe sprinting lessons in order for him to lose weight.
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The Zhoukou region was a hotbed of watersports in the 1990s, with Olympic rower Mu Suli, born the same year as Zhilei Zhang, growing up in a different part of Zhoukou during the 1990s.
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In 1995, Zhilei Zhang was called up to the Shenqiu County canoe sprinting team by coach Li Guofeng.
11.
When Zhilei Zhang injured his leg during a tryout for the provincial canoe sprinting team, he was referred to the provincial boxing coach Gu Ganqing.
12.
Zhilei Zhang enrolled at Zhengzhou University in 2005 and graduated in 2009 majoring in sports training.
13.
Zhilei Zhang took third place at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Chicago, thus qualifying for boxing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won a silver medal.
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Zhilei Zhang's fight was the last event of the 2008 Olympics.
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Zhilei Zhang's coaches were disappointed he missed the publicity that would have accompanied the final gold medal for China.
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Zhilei Zhang was highly regarded by American promoters by 2009 but his career stalled between 2009 and 2019 owing to a combination of his duties to Chinese national boxing obligations, mismanagement and accompanying legal issues, and his visa problems.
17.
Until Zhilei Zhang signed with Matchroom Sport USA in 2020 at 37 years of age, he was excluded from boxing's top ranks.
18.
Zhilei Zhang considered turning professional at 25 years of age after the 2008 Olympics, but could not until 2014.
19.
The highlight of that training were 11 bouts between the Chinese and American national boxing teams in Manhattan promoted as "Empires Collide", which Zhilei Zhang defeated Danny Kelly Jr 16:8 in the main fight.
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Zhilei Zhang dominated in all domestic amateur heavyweight competitions from 2005 until 2013.
21.
Zhilei Zhang was finally released by the Henan Provincial Combat and Weightlifting Center after he competed in the 2012 Olympics and won the gold medal for 2013 National Games of China.
22.
Zhilei Zhang was housemates with middleweight Meng Fanlong and lightweight Wang Zhimin in New Jersey when he first came to the US.
23.
Zhilei Zhang's slow rise to prominence was contributed to the debacle that saw his first and second promotional companies go out of business in 2014 and 2020 respectively and the legal chaos that followed.
24.
Zhilei Zhang was Dynasty's first signing and Zhilei Zhang had only one fight under Dynasty Boxing.
25.
In 2015, Zhilei Zhang was signed to Roc Nation Sports, which Dino Duva joined as an employee and boxing executive.
26.
Zhilei Zhang's commercialization was hampered when CSI Entertainment, the broadcaster that signed an agreement in 2014 with Dynasty Boxing before the latter went bankrupt, disputed Roc Nation's broadcasting rights in Asia.
27.
In 2024, Zhilei Zhang's co-manager recalled his promoter tried to stop him leaving by intimidation, dragging him into legal battles and refusing to line him up in fights.
28.
Zhilei Zhang won 19 back-to-back low-profile fights under the Roc Nation banner.
29.
Zhilei Zhang wanted better-known, tougher opponents with bigger payouts, but Dino Duva didn't do it.
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Zhilei Zhang was particularly upset once when his promoter organized a match at a high school basketball court with a portable dressing room which spectators could see into.
31.
Zhilei Zhang felt he was not taken seriously by his promoter.
32.
Zhilei Zhang was paid around $7,000 for his pro debut, and some of his earlier pro fights were paid $2000 and $5000.
33.
Dynasty Boxing's minority owners, brothers Tommy and Terry Lane, believed Zhilei Zhang would become "the Yao Ming of boxing" and clashed with Duva over his lackluster promotion of Zhilei Zhang.
34.
Zhilei Zhang knocked out his replacement, Curtis Tate, in the opening 17 seconds of round one.
35.
Zhilei Zhang was stuck for too long and asked his manager to terminate his housing lease and sell his car in New Jersey.
36.
Zhilei Zhang missed another fight scheduled in March 2020 in the United States after attending his father's funeral.
37.
Zhilei Zhang's flight scheduled for February 3,2020, was two days after the United States implemented a COVID-19 travel ban on Chinese citizens.
38.
The 37-year-old Zhilei Zhang had to wait another eight months for his next bout on November 7,2020, with Devin Vargas on the undercard of the WBC lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Yuriorkis Gamboa.
39.
Zhilei Zhang's majority draw with journeyman Jerry Forrest on February 27,2021, was a landmark moment in his career not because it was the first fight he did not win, but because it finally highlighted how poor his nutrition was.
40.
Zhilei Zhang was diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia, high enzyme levels, low-level renal failure, electrolyte disorder, liver dysfunction and severe dehydration.
41.
Zhilei Zhang had been unconcerned with his weight loss since it was not an issue in the unlimited weight class.
42.
Zhilei Zhang's doctor concluded that his excessive consumption of Chinese tea during training was partially responsible for his iron-deficiency anemia.
43.
When Zhilei Zhang was discharged from hospital, his first words to his managers were the Chinese idiom, fang hu gui shan, lit.
44.
Since then, Zhilei Zhang hired a nutritionist, quit smoking and has stayed away from tea during training and in the immediate run-up to boxing matches.
45.
Many fans thought Zhilei Zhang vs Forrest was a better fight than the main bout.
46.
On 27 November 2021, Zhilei Zhang faced Craig Lewis on the undercard of Teofimo Lopez vs George Kambosos Jr.
47.
Zhilei Zhang started the fight off slowly, but dropped Lewis twice in round two, leading Lewis' corner to throw in the towel, giving Zhilei Zhang a win by TKO.
48.
Zhilei Zhang was scheduled to fight Filip Hrgovic in an IBF title eliminator on 7 May 2022.
49.
Zhilei Zhang's fight against Hrgovic was rescheduled for 20 August 2022, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua II.
50.
On that night, Zhilei Zhang knocked Hrgovic down in the first round with a big right.
51.
One of the reasons for fighting Zhilei Zhang was due to him being southpaw, which would help prepare for a future showdown with Usyk.
52.
Many believed Zhilei Zhang should have got the decision against Hrgovic.
53.
Zhilei Zhang mentioned Hrgovic being in a better position than him, but stated it was out of his control and all he could do was continue and win fights.
54.
Zhilei Zhang was a pound heavier than his previous fight, weighing in at 278 pounds.
55.
The repeated heavy shots from Zhilei Zhang caused swelling above Joyce's right eye, causing the referee to wave off the fight.
56.
Zhilei Zhang managed to catch Joyce a few times and ended up drawing blood from his nose.
57.
Zhilei Zhang came out and landed his power shots to Joyce's chin.
58.
Joyce landed 85 of 464 punches thrown and Zhilei Zhang landed 82 of 180 punches thrown.
59.
Zhilei Zhang praised Joyce's toughness and constant pressure in the ring and welcomed a rematch.
60.
Part of the deal for the first bout with Zhilei Zhang winning, would see him promoted under the Queensberry Promotions banner for the foreseeable.
61.
On 12 June 2023, Zhilei Zhang confirmed he would defend his interim WBO heavyweight title in a rematch against Joyce, after Joyce activated the rematch clause.
62.
Zhilei Zhang said he would approach this fight as if he had never fought Joyce before and make history again.
63.
Trainer Ismail Salas admitted even he overlooked Zhilei Zhang, but promised the rematch would be different.
64.
Zhilei Zhang said he enjoyed being in the ring with Joyce, as Joyce did not move his head much and switch his angles, thus making him an easy target.
65.
Zhilei Zhang was 25.2 pounds heavier than the previous fight.
66.
Zhilei Zhang weighed a career-high 287 pounds, 9 pounds heavier than previously.
67.
In front of a stunned crowd, Zhilei Zhang stopped Joyce in third round, in what was described as a highlight reel right hook knockout.
68.
Zhilei Zhang was more dominant in the rematch than the first fight.
69.
Zhilei Zhang, seeing this coming, landed a sharp right hook of his own, landing clean and dropped Joyce face first onto the canvas.
70.
Zhilei Zhang took on the challenges he believes he did not need to take, considering the position he was in.
71.
Zhilei Zhang landed 39 of his 104 punches thrown, 29 of them being power shots.
72.
Zhilei Zhang called Parker a warrior who doesn't back down from any challenge.
73.
Zhilei Zhang expected to wear down Parker over the rounds, just as Joyce before him did.
74.
Zhilei Zhang weighed 291.6 pounds and Parker came in at 247.6 pounds.
75.
Zhilei Zhang knocked Parker down in rounds three and eight, but was out-boxed in most of the other 10 rounds.
76.
Zhilei Zhang looked tired most of the fight, some observers put this down to his weight, coming in heavy, made him slower and not attack as much as he did in both his fights against Joyce.
77.
Parker won majority of the second half by being a bit busier than Zhilei Zhang, who was being patient, but looked like he wanted to land the knockout blow.
78.
The first knockdown occurred in round three, when Zhilei Zhang landed a straight left to Parker's head.
79.
Zhilei Zhang faced former WBC champion Deontay Wilder on 1 June 2024.
80.
Zhilei Zhang secured victory in the fifth round after landing a counter right hook that left Wilder reeling.
81.
Zhilei Zhang faced German heavyweight contender Agit Kabayel on February 22nd, 2025 on the undercard of Beterbiev-Bivol 2 from Riyadh, Saudia Arabia.
82.
Zhilei Zhang speaks the Henan variety of Central Plains Mandarin in most of his post-match interviews and on his social media Douyin and Weibo, which has become a signature characteristic of his, as those born before the mid-1980s are the last generation to speak Central Plains Mandarin fluently.
83.
Zhilei Zhang first met Kurt Li, his English translator and his co-manager when Li was a staff member handling application forms at the Department of Sports in the 2000s.
84.
Zhilei Zhang asked Li for an application form and Li, a Sichuan Mandarin speaker, did not understand him.
85.
Zhilei Zhang's wife, Jiang Huanhuan, is a retired starting pitcher for the Henan provincial softball team.