Avoided heavyweight Filip Hrgovic meets Zhilei Zhang in a final eliminator for the IBF heavyweight world title.
Filip Hrgovic: “I’ve been waiting for this fight for almost two years…we went through the whole list. A lot of fighters didn’t want to fight with me. I’m glad that we found the one that wants that…we are both big guys and we are both big punchers. I think he is a really dangerous guy but he lasts for a few rounds. I’m dangerous for the whole fight. I’m dangerous for 12 rounds. That is the difference.”
Zhilei Zhang: “For my last fight 16 million people in China tuned in to watch that. I believe we will make more history this time. I am expecting 100 million. I have 1.4 billion people behind me and supporting me. Let’s make it happen. I’m fighting for my country. On Saturday everybody is going to witness Chinese power again!”
Former WBA super middleweight champion and World Boxing Super Series winner Callum Smith, now campaigning at light heavyweight will face Mathieu Bauderlique in a final eliminator for the world title currently held by Artur Beterbiev.
Callum Smith: “It’s must-win. I think every fight is must-win at this stage in your career. I’m in a busy division, a packed division where there’s a lot of fighters waiting for a shot at the world title. A loss here puts me at the back of the queue – and it’s a very big queue to go to the back of. A win here puts me at the front of the queue, it puts me next in line to fight for the world title. That’s the goal. I’ve been there before down at 168 and I believe I’m good enough to do it at 175.”
Mathieu Bauderlique: “I am a warrior first and foremost. It’s in my DNA. I’m always here to win and I’m ready for a good fight.”
Former two-weight World Champion Badou Jack fights Richard Rivera in a ten round cruiserweight contest.
Badou Jack: “I’m here to stay. I feel young, I take care of my body. You’ve got to live a boxer’s life. You can’t just live it when you’re in training camp, it’s a lifestyle – all year round.”
Andrew Tabiti and James Wilson collide in an eight round Heavyweight contest.
Andrew Tabiti: “My original opponent was Tyrone Spong but that fight didn’t go through. I don’t know if I’m going to campaign at heavyweight. I’m going to fight certain fights at heavyweight, smaller heavyweights. I might campaign at cruiserweight and bridgerweight.”
Looking forward to El Animal vs Big Bang, might be more entertaining then the main event. Someone’s 0 has got to go
Zhang makes me think of a Chinese Joe Joyce, just a bit older. Zhang is old, a slow starter, he needs to get through the first couple of rounds. Hope he does because the middle and later rounds will give a better indication of how good either of them are. Interesting fight.
I swear to whatever God you pray to, I’d never heard of (looks it up so he gets the spelling correct) Zhilei Zhang before. And this guy is fighting for IBF mandatory challenger status? Hoo, boy. Between this nobody and whomever the WBA and WBO dig up, Usyk is going to have trouble keeping all those belts. Perhaps he should dump them in advance and just keep the IBO strap; they’re the only sanctioning body that has never done anything brazenly shady.
I was actually looking forward to Tabiti – Spong. James Wilson’s is a new name to me and, looking him up – I’m good.
I like Rivera with the odds over an aging Jack.