Zhang's Corner Eyes Wilder in the Ring Dance

Zhilei Zhang's cornerman, Terry Lane, spilled the beans on their pre-bout playbook. Before shaking hands with Parker, they flirted with throwing punches at Wilder.

"Mark your calendars for March 8," Lane quipped, recalling their strategy session before the December 23 fight night. "We weighed our contender options, but none made us lace up excitedly. So, we huddled with Warren, playing the waiting game for the December dust-up to settle."

Their fight plan took a twist, Lane admits. "We figured Parker was out of the picture, nudging us towards Wilder as our ring rival. We gave Queensberry the heads-up: it's either Parker or Wilder post-Joshua vs. Ngannou clash. But as fate would have it, Parker's still in the fight mix for March 8," he shared.

Rewind to December 23, 2023: Parker trumped Wilder, sharing the spotlight with the Joshua-Wallin bout. Meanwhile, 2023 saw Zhang flooring Joe Joyce, not once but twice.

The Zhang vs. Parker face-off is all set to bring the heat to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 8.