Zhilei Zhang vs Joseph Parker: Insight and Betting Tips

Anthony Joshua’s contest with Francis Ngannou headlines a fantastic Friday night card from Saudi Arabia, which also features a fascinating heavyweight clash between Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker.

Zhang took his career to a new high with two destructive stoppage victories over Joe Joyce last year, while Parker pulled off one of the biggest shocks in recent history when beating Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia in December.

Parker is a former WBO world heavyweight champion and the New Zealander will be looking to get another crack at the big time, while Zhang will also be targeting a short at a world title.

Tip 1 -Zhilei Zhang to win by stoppage @ 22/25

Zhilei Zhang was a veteran of 25 fights before the Chinese puncher got the chance to make the headlines in the pro game after winning the silver medal in the super-heavyweight category at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Big Bang had done plenty to earn a chance to step up, winning 24 of his 25 professional contests before taking on the highly-rated and unbeaten Filip Hrgovic in a 2022 bout at the Jeddah Superdome.

The New Jersey-based boxer had Hrgovic on the canvas in that contest and the 40-year-old was extremely unfortunate not to get the decision from the judges in that fight.

Zhang then took on Joe Joyce in April 2023 and the Chinese star showed that he is a serious heavyweight contender. He produced a stunning display to dismantle the Juggernaut and stop the Putney puncher in six rounds.

That set up a rematch with Joyce and this time Zhang dropped the British boxer with a right hook to the head and ended the contest in the third round.

Joyce had been unbeaten going into the first bout with Zhang and the 38-year-old had stopped Parker, Christian Hammer, Daniel Dubois and Carlos Takam. It appeared that the Brit was moving to a world title shot before he ran into the hard-hitting Chinese star.

That suggests that Zhang’s pair of wins over Joyce is top-level form and the veteran looks a good bet to add Parker to the list of his victims.

The New Zealander is a former world champion, but the 32-year-old pulled off arguably the biggest win of his career when beating Wilder in Saudi Arabia in December.

That was an excellent effort from the Kiwi, but it’s possible that Wilder was fighting on fumes after the Tyson Fury saga and it may not be quite as good form as the result suggests.

Parker used smothering tactics to nullify the power of Wilder, but that may be more difficult to execute against the come-forward southpaw style of Zhang.

The New Zealander was stopped by Joyce, he was beaten by Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte and recent wins over Simon Kean, Dereck Chisora, Faiga Opelu and Jack Massey are far from top-level victories.

Zhang appears to be a seriously difficult fighter to stop as 21 of Big Bang’s 26 victories have come by stoppage and the Chinese boxer may be able to expose Parker's chin, which has taken plenty of punishment in his 37-fight career.

Tip 2 - Under 10.5 rounds @ 3/4

Zhang stopped Joyce in the sixth and third rounds of their two battles and Big Bang had Hrgovic floored in the opening session in a controversial 2022 defeat.

Prior to that, the Zhoukou-born boxer recorded a first-round victory over Scott Alexander and stopped Craig Lewis in the second.

Parker is a better fighter than Alexander or Lewis, but Zhang has shown he has the ability to hurt top-level opponents in Hrgovic and Joyce, and Parker hasn’t been immune to power, even though he was able to avoid the heavy-hitting bombs of Wilder.

Zhang has recorded 12 first-period stoppage victories in his 28 career bouts and 13 of his 16 fights over eight or more rounds have ended before the final bell. At 10.5 rounds, the line may be a little high for this 12-round contest.

Zhang's awkward and aggressive style along with his southpaw stance can often catch opponents cold, and if Parker isn’t switched on, this could be another early knockout triumph from the Chinese star.