Zhang Zhilei

Zhang Zhilei
Zhang Zhilei
Statistics
Real name	张志磊
Nickname(s)	Big Bang
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Nationality	Chinese
Born	May 2, 1983 (age 38); Zhoukou, Henan, China
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	24
Wins	23
Wins by KO	18
Losses	0
Draws	1
Medal record
Men’s amateur boxing
Representing China
Olympic Games
World Championships
Asian Games
Asian Championships

Zhang Zhilei (simplified Chinese: 张志磊; traditional Chinese: 張志磊; pinyin: Zhāng Zhìlěi; born May 2, 1983) is a Chinese professional boxer. As an amateur he won bronze medals at the 2007 and 2009 World Championships, and a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics, all in the super-heavyweight division.

Amateur career[]

In 2003 the southpaw lost in the first round of the World Championship to Polish fellow southpaw Grzegorz Kiełsa 22:8.

At the 2004 World University Boxing Championships he lost the final to Rustam Saidov.

In 2005 at the World Championships in his home country, he beat Vugar Alekperov 20:11 before losing to eventual winner Odlanier Solis (17:7).

Zhang lost at the 2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships to Ukrainian Vyacheslav Glazkov in the semifinals but qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics. There he settled for silver, losing the final by KO to Italy's Roberto Cammarelle.

At the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championships he again lost the semi to a Ukrainian in Roman Kapitanenko 2:5.

He qualified for the 2012 Olympics in London but was defeated by British boxer Anthony Joshua in the quarter finals on points, who would later go on to become a unified heavyweight world champion.^[1]

On March 10, 2014 in New York City, Zhang Zhilei announced that he would be turning pro. Zhang signed a promotional agreement with Dynasty Boxing, which is a promotional firm that specializes in the Chinese market.

Zhang knocked out Curtis Tate in the first 17 seconds of round one in his pro debut in Fallon, Nevada on August 8, 2014.

Olympic Games results[]

2008 (as a Super heavyweight)

Defeated Mohamed Amanissi (Morocco) 15-0
Defeated Ruslan Myrsatayev (Kazakhstan) 12-2
Defeated Vyacheslav Glazkov (Ukraine) walk-over
Lost to Roberto Cammarelle (Italy) RSCO

2012 (as a Super heavyweight)

Defeated Johan Linde (Australia) RSCO
Lost to Anthony Joshua (Great Britain) 11-15

World Championships results[]

2003 (as a Super heavyweight)

Lost to Grzegorz Kiełsa (Poland) 8-22

2005 (as a Super heavyweight)

Defeated Vugar Alekperov (Azerbaijan) 20-11
Lost to Odlanier Solis (Cuba) 7-17

2007 (as a Super heavyweight)

Defeated (Kyrgyzstan) RSCO
Defeated (Kazakhstan) 20-10
Defeated Daniel Beahan (Australia) KO 2
Lost to Vyacheslav Glazkov (Ukraine) 11-21

2009 (as a Super heavyweight)

Defeated (Macedonia) 6-2
Lost to Roman Kapitanenko (Ukraine) 2-5

Professional career[]

Zhang compiled a perfect record of 20-0 before fighting Andriy Rudenko in Monaco on 30 November 2019. He dominated the Ukrainian veteran and secured a convincing unanimous decision win, winning on all three scorecards, 99–91, 98–92 and 97–93.^[2]

In his next fight on 7 November 2020, Zhang fought Devin Vargas on the undercard of the WBC lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Yuriorkis Gamboa. In his debut as a Matchroom Boxing fighter. Zhang dropped and stopped his opponent in the fourth round.^[3]

He returned to the ring on 27 February 2021 to fight journeyman Jerry Forrest on the undercard of the super-middleweight title fight between Canelo Álvarez and Avni Yıldırım. Although Zhang started strong, scoring three knockdowns in the opening three rounds of the bout, Forrest was able to battle his way back to earn a majority draw. The final scorecards read 95–93 Forrest, 93–93, and 93–93, with the irregular scores owing to a point deduction against Zhang for excessive holding.^[4] It was revealed that after the fight, Zhang was hospitalised and later diagnosed with "anemia, high enzyme levels, and low-level renal failure that may have been caused by severe dehydration".^[5]^[6]

On November 27th 2021, Zhang faced Craig Lewis on the undercard of the Teófimo López vs. George Kambosos Jr. fight. Zhang started the fight off slowly, but dropped Lewis twice in round two, leading Lewis'corner to throw in the towel, giving Zhang a TKO win.^[7]

Zhang is scheduled to fight Filip Hrgovic in an IBF title eliminator. The winner will become the mandatory challenger of unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.^[8]

Personal life[]

As of March 2021, Zhang resides in Bloomfield, New Jersey.^[9]

Professional boxing record[]

Professional record summary
24 fights	23 wins	0 losses
By knockout	18	0
By decision	5	0
Draws	1

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
25	N/A	N/A	Filip Hrgović	N/A	– (12)	May 7, 2022	T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
24	Win	23–0–1	Craig Lewis	TKO	2 (8), 2:10	Nov 27, 2021	Hulu Theater, New York City, New York, U.S.
23	Draw	22–0–1	Jerry Forrest	MD	10	Feb 27, 2021	Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S.
22	Win	22–0	Devin Vargas	KO	4 (10), 1:49	Nov 7, 2020	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
21	Win	21–0	Andriy Rudenko	UD	10	Nov 30, 2019	Casino de Salle Medicin, Monte Carlo, Monaco	Retained WBO Oriental heavyweight title
20	Win	20–0	Don Haynesworth	TKO	3 (10), 1:48	Sep 28, 2018	Social Work College Gymnasium, Changsha, China	Retained WBO Oriental heavyweight title
19	Win	19–0	Eugen Buchmueller	KO	1 (10), 1:03	Jul 20, 2018	WinnaVegas Casino Resort, Sloan, Iowa, U.S.
18	Win	18–0	Byron Polley	TKO	1 (10), 2:30	Sep 23, 2017	Hartman Arena, Park City, Kansas, U.S.
17	Win	17–0	Nick Guivas	TKO	1 (10), 2:43	Aug 5, 2017	Claridge Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
16	Win	16–0	Curtis Harper	TKO	1 (8), 2:34	May 26, 2017	Hotel & Club, Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.
15	Win	15–0	Mark Brown	KO	1 (8), 2:03	Apr 29, 2017	CenterStage@NoDa, Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
14	Win	14–0	Peter Graham	KO	1 (10), 2:58	Jan 21, 2017	Hebei Sports Venue, Shijiazhuang, China	Won vacant WBO Oriental heavyweight title
13	Win	13–0	Galen Brown	TKO	2 (6), 1:50	Dec 10, 2016	Marina Bay SportsPlex, Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.
12	Win	12–0	Gogita Gorgiladze	TKO	1 (8), 1:17	Sep 30, 2016	Wenzhou Gymnasium, Wenzhou, China
11	Win	11–0	Rodney Hernandez	UD	6	Jul 22, 2016	Claridge Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Jamal Woods	TKO	2 (6), 0:41	Jun 11, 2016	Marina Bay SportsPlex, Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	John Orr	TKO	1 (6), 2:27	May 13, 2016	D.C. Armory, Washington, D.C., U.S.
8	Win	8–0	Tyree Ortiz	TKO	3 (4), 2:14	Mar 26, 2016	Oracle Arena, Oakland, California U.S.
7	Win	7–0	David Koswara	TKO	1 (6), 0:37	Feb 20, 2016	Lanzhou, China
6	Win	6–0	Juan Goode	UD	4	Nov 21, 2015	Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
5	Win	5–0	Dennis Benson	TKO	6 (6), 0:56	Aug 15, 2015	The Playground, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Glenn Thomas	UD	4	Jun 6, 2015	Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Eric George	UD	4	Mar 14, 2015	Jersey City Armory, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Perry Filkins	TKO	1 (4), 1:10	Jan 17, 2015	Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Curtis Lee Tate	TKO	1 (4), 0:17	Aug 8, 2014	Churchill County Fairgrounds, Fallon, Nevada, U.S.

References[]

^ "BoxRec: Anthony Joshua". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
^ "Duva: Zhang Zhilei Proved That He Belongs in Heavyweight Mix". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2021-02-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ "Heavyweights Filip Hrgovic, Zhang Zhilei score knockouts on Haney-Gamboa undercard". The Ring. 2020-11-07. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
^ "Zhilei Zhang Fails to Beat Jerry Forrest – Anthony Joshua Fight Hopes in Tatters". EssentiallySports. 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
^ Lane, Terry (Feb 28, 2021). "Terry Lane statement". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (2021-03-01). "Zhang Zhilei hospitalized after draw with Jerry Forrest". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
^ https://www.ringtv.com/631218-zhilei-zhang-blasts-out-craig-lewis-in-2-rounds-on-lopez-kambosos-card/
^ https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/12536135/filip-hrgovic-set-to-clash-with-zhilei-zhang-in-ibf-heavyweight-final-eliminator-to-face-oleksandr-usyk
^ "BoxRec: Zhilei Zhang". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-03-30.

External links[]

Results (amateur-boxing.strefa.pl)
Zhang Zhilei at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
Boxing record for Zhang Zhilei from BoxRec (registration required)
Zhilei Zhang - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings at Box.Live

Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant Title last held by Joseph Parker	WBO Oriental heavyweight champion 21 Jan 2017 – present	Incumbent

[1] "BoxRec: Anthony Joshua". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-03-30.

[2] "Duva: Zhang Zhilei Proved That He Belongs in Heavyweight Mix". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2021-02-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[3] "Heavyweights Filip Hrgovic, Zhang Zhilei score knockouts on Haney-Gamboa undercard". The Ring. 2020-11-07. Retrieved 2021-02-18.

[4] "Zhilei Zhang Fails to Beat Jerry Forrest – Anthony Joshua Fight Hopes in Tatters". EssentiallySports. 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2021-03-30.

[5] Lane, Terry (Feb 28, 2021). "Terry Lane statement". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[6] Stumberg, Patrick L. (2021-03-01). "Zhang Zhilei hospitalized after draw with Jerry Forrest". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 2021-03-30.

[7] ttps://www.ringtv.com/631218-zhilei-zhang-blasts-out-craig-lewis-in-2-rounds-on-lopez-kambosos-card/

[8] ttps://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/12536135/filip-hrgovic-set-to-clash-with-zhilei-zhang-in-ibf-heavyweight-final-eliminator-to-face-oleksandr-usyk

[:0-9] "BoxRec: Zhilei Zhang". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-03-30.

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v t Asian Games Boxing Champions in Men's Super Heavyweight
1982–present: +91 kg
1982: (PRK) 1986: Baik Hyun-man (KOR) 1990: Baik Hyun-man (KOR) 1994: Oleg Maskaev (UZB) 1998: Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov (KAZ) 2002: Rustam Saidov (UZB) 2006: Rustam Saidov (UZB) 2010: Zhang Zhilei (CHN) 2014: Ivan Dychko (KAZ)