Zhilei Zhang gave Agit Kabayel a surprise gift during their press conference ahead of their clash for the WBC interim heavyweight title next month on February 22nd in Riyadh.
The two-time Olympian walked up to Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) and handed him an envelope, which he opened to reveal a picture of the Chinese heavyweight. Zhilei said the gift was part of the Chinese New Year.
Predator’s Mindset
Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) and the unbeaten Kabayel will be fighting on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 rematch in Riyadh. It’s an important fight for both heavyweights, obviously, but it might mean a little more for the 41-year-old Zhang due to his age. He’s running out of time to put himself in a position to capture a world title against one of the two champions.
Last year, Zhang lost his WBO interim belt to Joseph Parker by a controversial 12-round majority decision on March 8th in Riyadh. The 291-lb Zhilei looked to be on his way to an early knockout after dropping Parker in the third round, but he ran out of gas afterward.
Parker then came on to dominate the second half of the fight, using his slick skills to win an ugly decision. Zhang knocked Parker down in the eighth round as well, and he appeared to have done enough to rate the win. The judges gave it to Parker with the scores 114-112, 115-111, and 114-114.
“I’m not a big fan of being a snake. I want to be an eagle. When an eagle sees it’s prey, it’s going to grab it in the air and just drop it,” said Zhang during the press conference, talking about how he plans on fighting Kabayel.
A unique surprise gift from Zhang to Kabayel 😂🎁#TheLastCrescendo | Feb 22 | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/tXUtmyD5Ml
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) January 13, 2025
Zhilei Zhang the eagle 🦅#TheLastCrescendo | Feb 22 | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/edOGvOMLqD
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) January 13, 2025
Read the full article here
