Tyson Fury offers his shut good friend, Joseph Parker, the sting in opposition to WBO interim heavyweight champion Zhilei Zhang for his or her battle this Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fury feels that Parker (34-3, 23 KOs) ought to win primarily based on his youth in opposition to the 40-year-old Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) of their 12-round conflict on DAZN PPV on the Kingdom Enviornment. The occasion begins at 4:00 p.m. UK and 11:00. ET.
Regardless of Zhang being eight years older than the 32-year-old Parker, the oddsmakers have put in him as the favourite, as they’re not bought on the New Zealander after his win over Deontay Wilder.
They famous that Wilder didn’t appear like his previous self and didn’t see something particular from Parker that may counsel that he would defeat Zhang or any of the top-rung heavyweights.
The Age Issue
“He’s received one other robust battle in opposition to Zhang. I noticed Zhang yesterday. He’s not as large as I assumed he was on tele, however he’s nonetheless awkward and a superb fighter for his age as nicely,” mentioned Tyson Fury to Queensberry Promotions YouTube channel about Zhilei Zhang, who will defend his WBO interim heavyweight title in opposition to Fury’s good friend, Joseph Parker, this Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The previous WBO champion Parker is dealing with a more durable opponent than anybody he’s confronted since his loss to Anthony Joshua in 2018.
Zhang is preventing at a greater stage now than the blokes that Parker has fought within the final six years, and it’s going to be attention-grabbing to see how nicely he does in opposition to one of these fighter. If Parker wins, it’ll open the door for different well-paying undercard fights in Saudi Arabia.
“Joe is 32-year-old needs to be outdoing a 41-year-old [correction: 40], however that’s simply my opinion. Joe is a really improved fighter and he’s in good kind,” Fury continued. “I feel it was slightly little bit of each [38-year-old Deontay Wilder having declined. Joe’s improvement. He’s more confident, and he’s working with Andy Lee.
Underdog with Potential
“He’s got more experience. He’s got four or five fights on the spin with activity. It’s a great thing, and a little bit of Wilder’s decline and his inactivity. Not a little bit. He only had one round in two years. You can’t do that. It’s not good for a boxer or any fighter,” said Fury when asked if Parker’s win over Deontay was due to improvements in his game or a case of Wilder having deteriorated.
“Joe is definitely the underdog man, so I’m really excited to see if he can beat Zhang. Joe is a confident guy. He has no nastiness in him. Sometimes, it’s a hindrance because he needs a bit of nastiness to get the job,” said Fury.
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