Tyson Fury has already made feelings clear on Deontay Wilder conqueror…

Tyson Fury has already made feelings clear on Deontay Wilder conqueror Zhilei Zhang

Zhilei Zhang‘s star continues to rise after a decisive knockout win over Deontay Wilder – but Tyson Fury has been aware of his talents for some time.

While most boxers tend to fade after 35, Zhang has enjoyed a career resurgence despite being way past that mark already. And the 41-year-old celebrated the biggest result of his career to date following a relentless fifth-round KO of the Bronze Bomber on Saturday.

That result in Riyadh has dramatically opened up Zhang’s prospects, with a potential bout against Anthony Joshua even being touted. However, newly crowned interim IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois is also in that conversation following his own stoppage victory over Filip Hrgovic.

Fury, 35, has his own next fight in the books already after agreeing to rematch Oleksandr Usyk, who took his undefeated record in May. And The Gypsy King paid Zhang hefty praise after previously comparing the two heavyweight rivals.

Speaking to Dev Shani for Queensberry Promotions in September 2023, he said of Zhang: “I think he’s a very tough opponent and he’s a big southpaw punching man. He’s not like Usyk, a feather duster jibbing and jabbing around the ring. This man is trying to take your brains out. He’s 6ft 6in and twenty stone. He’s a very different customer and very dangerous.”

That same “feather duster” disproved that theory to a large extent after scoring a split-decision win over Fury in Saudi Arabia. However, his appraisal of 27-2-1 Zhang could be more accurate given Joshua, 34, appears to be leaning away from the Chinese star.

AJ was being teed up for a cross-Atlantic clash with Wilder, but that bout now looks impossible given the 38-year-old has lost four of his last five fights. Instead, he appeared more open to an all-British affair against countryman Dubois.

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“I’ve got to pick them off one by one. It’s not going to be easy, but that’s my mentality,” said Joshua in light of his new prospects. “So come one, come all.… He [Dubois] has worked his way up the ladder, we’ll see what happens in the near future.”

Perhaps former world champion Joshua has even seen Fury’s assessment of Zhang and taken heed of those words. Not that the knockout merchant’s latest big victory wasn’t enough to send a very clear message regarding the threat he poses.