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Zhilei Zhang

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Tyson Fury has been in the ring with some heavy hitters over his storied heavyweight career.

‘They Gypsy King’ is coming off his first ever career defeat when he was beaten via split decision in May by Oleksandr Usyk.

JUST IN: Daniel Dubois’ warning for unified champion Oleksandr Usyk: ‘There is definitely unfinished business’…

OLEKSANdr usyk VS TYSON FURY

Prior to that, Fury had shared the ring with the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Deontay Wilder and former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.

Wilder has one of the most impressive knockout records in boxing history and is regarded by some as the biggest one punch finisher of all time. Ngannou, on the other hand, holds the world record for the most powerful punch ever recorded but sceptics weren’t sure if his power would translate inside the boxing ring.

Having been knocked down by both, Fury told The Stomping Ground he was in no doubt that the former WBC champion packs the bigger punch.

SEE MORE: ‘He wants to beat Usyk’: Barry Hearn says Anthony Joshua still wants third shot at Oleksandr Usyk….

“Deontay, by far. Francis Ngannou is a big puncher but I wasn’t really troubled by any of his punches, it wasn’t like dynamite and every time he hit me I was wobbled or anything, it was just one shot to the back of the head and that was it. So Wilder is the biggest puncher I’ve ever been in the ring with by a mile.”

Zhilei Zhang VS Deontay Wilder

Both Ngannou and Wilder are at crossroads in their boxing career. The Alabama heavyweight is coming off two defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang and has been urged to consider retirement whilst Ngannou suffered a devastating knockout to Anthony Joshua back in March and will now make a planned return to MMA before considering his options inside the ring.

RELATED: Daniel Dubois Gives Honest Verdict On Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk Rematch And Facing The Winner…

How much money would it take to dethrone the champions in every major division? DAZN Boxing gave their fans a sum of $18 million in a recent social media post to choose their team. So, who are these champions? Undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, former super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, and former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford. But wait, there’s more.

WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue, and women’s WBC super bantamweight champion Yamileth Mercado were also part of the lineup. This was enough to get fans excited as they picked from the options with price tags to defeat each champion in their division.

Terence Crawford VS Canelo Alvarez AND Jermell Charlo

JUST IN: Anthony Joshua Names The Heavyweight Who Beats Everyone Including Oleksandr Usyk: “I’d Pick Him”…

Who are the challengers?

In addition to the defending champions, DAZN Boxing gave their followers five challengers they could pick from each division with a diminishing price tag. The only catch was the total price tag of the six challengers they chose should not cross $18 million. For Usyk, the challengers were Tyson Fury ($5 million), Anthony Joshua ($4 million), Zhilei Zhang ($3 million), Martin Bakole ($2 million) and Moses Itauma ($1 million).

For Canelo, the list of challengers included Edgar Berlanga ($5 million), Osleys Iglesias ($4 million), Jamie Munguia ($3 million), Diago Pacheco ($2 million), and William Scull ($1 million). In a similar diminishing cost, for Terence Crawford, the challengers were Jaron Ennis, Vergil Ortiz Jr., Jermell Charlo, Sebastian Fundora, and Xander Zayas.

Gervonta Davis had Shakur Stevenson, Vasyl Lomachenko, William Zepeda, Abdullah Mason, and Mark Chamberlain. Meanwhile, Naoya Inoue had to face one of the following: Angelo Leo, Brandon Figueroa, Rafael Espinoza, Murodjon Akhmadaliev, and Bruce Carrington. And finally, Yamileth Mercado.

Gervonta Davis vs Vasyl Lomachenko

Her challengers were Erika Cruz Hernandez, Elleie Sctotney, Mea Motu, Phannarai Netisri, and Nazarena Romero. Seeing such a formidable list of challengers, fans quickly took their personalized list to the comments section to challenge the kings of the division.

Fan wonders if they should keep the money

There’s a reason each of those fighters is a champion—nobody can beat them. This led one user to come up with an alternative. The user wrote, “Can I keep the $18M instead? Half of them not losing.” However, Davis and Crawford are yet to face Stevenson and Ennis, so their crown isn’t exactly safe.

However, the next user was all in on the game, as he shared his list to beat the kings of the divisions. “Bakole, Pacheco, Ennis, Stevenson, Carrington,” the user wrote. This user seems to have forgotten about Mercado, and he is even left with $3 million.

The next user had some changes in his list. The user chose, “AJ, Pacheco, Boots, Loma, Shu Shu, Netisri.” Skipping Stevenson for Davis was interesting, but the lack of money may have influenced this user’s decision.

Terence Crawford Vs Jaron Ennis

Another user presented his list to fight the kings. The user commented, “Bakole, Pacheco, Ennis, Shakur, Bruce.” Even this user seems to have forgotten about Mercado, with several million left.

Meanwhile, this user was left bamboozled with the list of challengers provided for Canelo Alvarez. “That Canelo column is pure foolishness…. Im not playing this game …. Yall ruined it,” the user wrote. This could be because of the absence of David Benavidez.

While the list of fighters people chose to defeat the champions of each division is interesting, making those fights in real life can prove a bit difficult. But the post from DAZN Boxing gave a clear idea of what fights people would like to see. Regardless, who would you choose to beat the kings?

 

Zhilei Zhang has claimed Anthony Joshua will never give him a rematch in the professional ranks.

Zhang and Joshua met for the first time at the London Olympics in 2012, where the Briton won by decision after dropping the Chinese star to the canvas with a crunching shot.

The pair have not yet met as professionals, with AJ currently focusing on his mission to become a three-time heavyweight world champion.

And ‘Big Bang’ believes it will never happen due to Joshua’s recent selection of opponents.

Zhang told the MMA Hour: “Mark my words, he’s not fighting me. He’s not going to fight me, ever.

“Because after the 2012 Olympic Games, that was when we initially collided.

“After that, it’s been so many years. I was with Matchroom [Boxing] and I know what happened. I don’t think he’s ever going to fight me.

“My managers flew to London and I got words. So I don’t think he’s going to fight me.

“Look at his previous opponents – Francis Ngannou from the UFC, Robert Helenius, I don’t think he has what it takes to stand up to me.

“The way he picks his opponents says a lot about him. Neither does Eddie [Hearn] want it. He’s [AJ] a cash cow for Eddie.

Anthony Joshua

“My managers got an invitation, flew to London to talk to them, and got a no.

“I don’t know why. I don’t have a reason. That’s his problem. But if he ever wants to fight, I’m in.”

A showdown has always been teased between the pair with Joshua having explored the option of facing Zhang on multiple occasions.

This includes for his upcoming fight, after the Chinese star dispatched of Deontay Wilder in June.

But Joshua has now received a title shot for the IBF belt against Daniel Dubois on September 21.

Zhang has yet to pencil in his next outing, but is coming to the end of his career at the age of 41.

He will be hoping for a final hoorah for a title, when the option comes up with Usyk and Daniel Dubois currently holding the belts.

Heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang believes old amateur rival Anthony Joshua has long been ducking him and won’t fight him in the future.

Back when both men were being promoted by Eddie Hearn, and Joshua held versions of the heavyweight title, a defence against Zhang in China was frequently mentioned. But the reunion of 2012 Olympic rivals never materialized.

Zhang’s stock has risen since those days. He twice defeated Joe Joyce and, when representing Queensberry at the June ‘5 v 5’ event, he knocked out Deontay Wilder who was moonlighting for Matchroom. Zhang, however, has inferred that Joshua never fancied the fight and won’t do so in the future.

“Mark my words, he’s not fighting me. He’s not going to fight me, ever,” said Zhang when speaking on The MMA Hour. “Because after the 2012 Olympic Games, that was when we initially collided. After that, it’s been so many years. I was with Matchroom, and I know what happened. I don’t think he’s ever going to fight me.”

Joshua recently faced former UFC world champion Francis Ngannou in a professional boxing match. The fight was a mismatch, with Joshua securing a devastating finish in the second round. Zhang believes Joshua’s choice of opponents in recent fights shows that he would rather take on easier opposition than face the 280-pound southpaw.

“My managers flew to London, and I got words. So, I don’t think he’s going to fight me. Look at his previous opponents – Francis Ngannou from the UFC, Robert Helenius, I don’t think he has what it takes to stand up to me. The way he picks his opponents says a lot about him.”

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