Joseph Parker weighed in at 247.6 lbs, while WBO interim heavyweight champion Zhilei Zhang came in at a huge 291.6 lbs at today’s weigh-in for their co-feature clash this Friday on the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou card on DAZN PPV at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
There’s a massive size disparity between the two heavyweights, with Zhang outweighing Parker by 44 lbs. What’s unclear is if Zhang’s massive size will slow him down in this fight, as he’s four lbs heavier than in his last contest, and Parker has made it clear that he plans on taking him into the later rounds to take advantage of his stamina issues.
The 6’6″ southpaw Zhang’s weight was slightly higher than the 287 lbs that he weighed for his last fight against Joe Joyce last September in London. Zhang destroyed Joyce in three rounds, making it look easy.
Experts See Main Event Potential
“This is a main event anywhere. The O2 Arena sells it out. It’s the co-main event tomorrow,” said Ade Oladipo to the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel, talking about the Joseph Parker vs. Zhilei Zhang co-feature bout on DAZN PPV this Friday on the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou card in Saudi Arabia.
“On the strength of their last fights, it’s a main event anywhere in the world. After Parker’s performance against Wilder, and after his two big fights for Zhang [against Joe Joyce], this is massive,” said David Haye. “For me, this is a really big fight in the heavyweight division.”
Parker Remains Unfazed
“We’re both here to do a job, and we’re both well-prepared. I’ve trained very hard with my team, George and Andy, and I’m ready to go tomorrow night,” said Parker.
“He is a massive man, he is gigantic. How do you do that to your advantage? How do you use his size and girth to your advantage?” said Ariel Helwani.
“He’s a big man, big head, big body, and a big target,” said Parker about Zhang. “I worked on everything in camp, and had great rounds of sparring.”
