Zhilei: "I Must Admit I Underestimated Parker"

On March 8th, Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) lost by majority decision in a bout for the "interim" WBO world heavyweight title against New Zealander Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs). In an interview with the YouTube channel Queensberry Promotions, Zhilei admitted that he underestimated his opponent but learned a valuable lesson and corrected all mistakes.

"I made a big mistake by underestimating Parker. I must admit that. At the same time, I learned a lot from that fight. We went back and analyzed every detail and corrected all mistakes. I believe that in the next fight, you will see a renewed me.

We've made several adjustments. We have a nutritionist helping us remotely from the USA. For the past 20 days here, I've been in daily contact with him and my strength and conditioning coach.

My head coach, Sean George, is here with me to ensure everything is right with my boxing and physical training. As you can see from my face, the weight is coming off. I feel much better, and my strength hasn't gone anywhere," said Zhilei.

On June 1st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Zhilei Zhang will face Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) as part of the 5 vs 5 tournament between promotional companies Matchroom Boxing and Queensberry Promotions.