“It’s Time to Do This for the Sport of Boxing”: Reliving 11-Year-Old Olympic Defeat, Zhilei Zhang Calls on Anthony Joshua for Showdown

Anthony Joshua is a fighter filled to the brim with resilience. Once a unified world champion, his career started to plummet after he lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022. With last night’s victory against Otto Wallin, his third this year, he seems to be on the way to the top once again. Now, impressed by his graph in the sport, his opponent from 11 years ago has called on him for a fight.

It’s been 11 years since ‘AJ’ won gold at the 2012 London Olympics for Great Britain. However, his opponent in the quarter-finals was none other than the ‘Big Bang’, Zhilei Zhang, who himself was representing China at the Olympics. Today, years later, reminiscing about those days, the Chinese fighter, while giving him his due, called out AJ to reignite their competitive spirit once again.

Zhilei Zhang seeks redemption against Anthony Joshua

All everyone seems to speak about today is how AJ defeated Wallin last night. In the fifth round, the Swedish fighter’s corner threw in the towel, pushing AJ as the ultimate winner. In the wake of AJ’s victory, Zhang expressed admiration for the remarkable journey the British fighter has undertaken since their initial meeting in the Olympics. Sharing a photo from 11 years ago on his Instagram, Zhang reflected, “I lost to a better man 11 years ago in the Olympics. I’m happy we have both come a long way, gone through ups and downs in life.”

However, he did not stop with just appreciating the former world champion. He thought it would be the ideal time to invoke a call for redemption. He invited Joshua to fight him, for the sake of the sport and the fans. Zhang added, “Now it’s time to do this for the sport of boxing and give it to the fans around the world. Let’s get it on!” Zhang currently holds the WBO Interim Heavyweight title. He was last seen against Joe Joyce in September, a fight that the former won through a 3rd round knockout.

Speaking of AJ and the Olympics, do you know that the fighter landed in trouble related to drug issues right before the tournament?

Anthony Joshua and the drug fiasco at the Olympics

Right before his Olympic tournament, the then-21-year-old Anthony Joshua was found in possession of illegal substances, with the intent of supplying. His nascent career was at risk now. He needed to escape those charges, which he did. His barrister Tony Wyatt convinced the judge to charge the young fighter for possession of drugs and not supply. The judges agreed and sentenced AJ to 100 hours of unpaid work and also released his license.

Earlier this year, on the Anything Goes channel, Wyatt revealed, “But if he was to plead guilty to possession which obviously he’s guilty of as well, you could give him the harshest possible period of unpaid work, that would allow him to get his license back, it would allow him to fight in the Europeans…”

Also Read: “He’s the One to Edge It”: Anthony Joshua Picks Former Opponent Oleksandr Usyk While Snubbing Tyson Fury Ahead of Undisputed Fight

The 2012 Olympics were crucial for AJ. It brought his career to the forefront. Years later, his opponent at the tournament, Zhang, reignites it. Will he accept the fight? What do you think of Zhang’s fight proposal to AJ? Tell us in the comments section below.

Watch this story: Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou real scorecard drawing all curtains from controversy