WBO Interim Heavyweight Champion Jiray ‘Big Bang’ Zhang has announced his plans to apply significant pressure on Joseph Parker during their upcoming fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 8th.
Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) will be demonstrating his skills against former WBO heavyweight champion Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) in a 12-round chief support bout, set to take place alongside the Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou fight at the Kingdom Arena event.
A victory over Parker would serve as a significant platform for two-time Olympian “Big Bang” Chan. Parker, who recently achieved a notable win over former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, is widely perceived to be progressing well. It is worth noting that Parker’s sole defeat since 2022 was an 11th round KO loss to Joe Joyce, who was previously defeated by Chan.
Promoter Eddie Hearn is backing Parker as the favorite in this fight, but “Big Bang” Chan aims to disprove this belief by pressuring Parker to exhaustion and securing a knockout, similar to Joyce’s victory.
Parker’s dangerous potential
“He is dangerous due to his activity. He is constantly busy, young, hungry, explosive, and fast,” Zhilei Zhang emphasized about his March 8 opponent Joseph Parker. Parker possesses power but has shown vulnerability when faced with pressure or strong attacks from opponents. Despite his impressive performance against Wilder, it could be argued that Parker’s success was partly due to Wilder’s minimal punches during the match, landing only 39 punches in total.
“I never back down from a challenge, and I believe this fight on March 8th will be thrilling,” Chan expressed. “I’ve been solely focused on Parker since the fight was announced.”
Pressure Play: Big Bang Strategy
“I can anticipate his punches before he throws them. That’s my current observation of him. I anticipate applying a lot of pressure on him during the fight, but we’ll see how it unfolds,” said Zhang.
To defeat Parker, Chan will need to maintain relentless attacks, akin to Joe Joyce’s approach, without fixating on his own punches.
