Speaking on the BS w/ Jake Paul podcast, he added: “It’s f***ing absurd. First of all, obviously, none of that’s true… They’re so f***ing stupid. Anyone who believes that sh*t should not be allowed to vote.”
Zhang, who was born and raised in China’s Henan Province but now lives and trains in the U.S. state of New Jersey, has had to be patient to attract the attention of fans in his homeland as he’s worked his way up the heavyweight rankings.
Months earlier, in July 1991, Washington and Tyson had crossed paths at a rehearsal for the Miss Black America pageant in Indianapolis, Indiana, where Washington was a contestant. The 18-year-old went to Tyson’s room with him, where she says he raped her.
“There were roughly 50-60 million people who watched the fight and the highlights across TV and social media,” Zhang’s promoter Terry Lane told CGTN. “If you include the hashtag associated with the fight that was trending across Chinese social media, there were 300 million mentions – that was people providing their own commentary, sharing posts etc. That’s roughly the population of the U.S.”
Zhilei Zhang (Chinese: 张志磊; pinyin: Zhāng Zhìlěi; born May 2, 1983) is a Chinese professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) interim heavyweight title between 2023 and March 2024. As of June 2024, Zhang is ranked as the world’s fifth-best active heavyweight by The Ring magazine.
“We went through the whole list, a lot of fighters didn’t want to fight with me and I’m glad that we found one who wants that,” said Hrgovic in his press conference. “Thanks to Zhang and his team, I think we’ll make a great fight.
The prank, while initially deceiving, was received with mixed reactions. Some fans appreciated the humor and creativity behind the stunt, while others felt misled and disappointed. Critics argued that such actions further blur the line between reality and entertainment, making it harder for audiences to distinguish between genuine acts and staged performances.
An unusual training technique? Sure, but Zhang is not your usual fighter. Like, what is 8 division champion in boxing is a two-time Chinese Olympic heavyweight doing in suburban Jersey? For that you have to go to Terry and Tommy Lane, cofounders of Lane Brothers Boxing. In 2009 the Chinese national boxing team began making sporadic trips to the U.S. for training camps. Eventually the Lanes, then small-time promoters in Nevada, began hearing chatter about some of the talent, including Zhang, who punched his way to a silver medal at the ’08 Beijing Games. The Lanes linked up with Dino Duva, a veteran U.S. promoter who had built some relationships in China. Together, the trio formed Dynasty Boxing, negotiating with the Chinese government to turn a handful of fighters pro, including Zhang, and bring them to the United States. Duva, the former president of Main Events, was based in New Jersey. So, in ’14, Zhang went there.
2:09 p.m. ET/ 7:09 p.m. ET GMT: The first fight is about to get underway. In light heavyweight action, Craig Richards takes on Willy Hutchinson in an England vs. Scotland collision. We switch to round-by-round scoring immediately.
In August 2005, Etienne robbed a local business, tried to hijack two cars (one containing a woman and her child), then pulled a gun on police officers. He reportedly tried to fire the weapon only for it to jam. After being convicted of armed robbery, kidnapping and the attempted murder of a police officer, Etienne was sentenced to 160 years in prison (later reduced to 105 years due to a technicality).
Apart from the belated release from the Chinese boxing authorities and the promotional companies’ fiasco, Zhang’s peak years were also squandered because of visa troubles as a Chinese citizen which led to the cancellation of several bouts. While he stuck outside the U.S., his form dropped as he could not train as he usually did.
The fight looked on the brink of being cancelled until Tyson belatedly showed up in host city Memphis. The confusion around whether the contest was even happening then caused Etienne to pull out – before he changed his mind 24 hours later, perhaps realising there weren’t too many other $1million paydays on his horizon.
“Everyone says this makes no sense, but he’s how old?” asks Tyson about the thirty-eight-year-old Wilder. The younger heavyweight, says Tyson, shouldn’t feel sorry for him and doesn’t know him or understand him. “He’s not who I am. He can’t go to Mongolia and have somebody know who the fuck he is.”
Hrgović was the man credited for the cancellation of the David Haye vs Tyson Fury fight in 2013, after he cut Haye in a sparring session. He was also Kubrat Pulev’s sparring partner for his fight against Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.
Paul posted a video on his Instagram detailing his new face tattoo—the same one Tyson has (though it’s unclear if Paul’s tattoo is real)—before showing a man with a bite taken out of his ear. Paul then showed himself with a fake ear in his mouth.