Chinese heavyweight boxer Zhilei Zhang has made his case as to why Anthony Joshua should not fight Filip Hrgovic next.
Joshua's hopes of setting up a blockbuster bout with Deontay Wilder in early 2024 were dealt a blow when the American lost emphatically to Joseph Parker.
Joshua got his side of the deal done by defeating Wallin, but Wilder's defeat saw Eddie Hearn switch his focus to a new opponent for the two-time heavyweight champion.
Hearn confirmed that Joshua will likely go up against Hrgovic for the IBF world heavyweight title next year with the Croatian boxer being the mandatory challenger.
Anthony Joshua looks set to fight Filip Hrgovic
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Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will face off in a hotly-anticipated unification bout, but the winner will likely have to vacate the IBF belt ahead of any rematch.
Hearn's apparent plan is for Joshua to step up to take on Hrgovic for that potentially vacant belt.
But Zhang - who lost to Hrgovic in August 2022 - has explained why he feels he would be the best opponent for Joshua to face next.
“I’d like to go after Joshua because he’s probably looking at [Filip] Hrgovic as a potential fight," he tolf FightHype.
"But when you look at Hrgovic’s resume, he was gifted a win.
"He beat me to become the mandatory challenger, and he had two pretty low-level fights to stay busy because he’s so scared to lose that position.
“He [Hrgovic] fought Demsey McKean from Australia for twelve rounds.
"He kept hitting him in the back of the head, and right now, I can call Hrgovic a professional in hitting on the back of the head because in every fight in every round, he’s hitting the guy on the back of the head.
“You saw yesterday he knocked Mark De Mori out, but he kept hitting him in the back of the head, too.
Zhilei Zhang wants to take on Anthony Joshua
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“So, that’s what he does. When you look at Joshua’s potential fight with Hrgovic, I just don’t think it makes that much commercial sense because if he comes to me, the whole of England will be watching, and the whole of China will be watching, and the whole Middle East. Everybody will be watching.”
He added: “Joshua’s past opponents are Usyk, southpaw, Otto Wallin, southpaw, and I think he’s very comfortable and he's been really good at fighting southpaws, and I’m a southpaw.
“So, let’s get it. Credit to Parker, but I want to get Joshua next.
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Eddie Hearn has already spoken out on Anthony Joshua's next opponent
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“It’s not only going to be fireworks. It’s going to be explosive. You’re going to see dynamite because we had history, and I want to make it right.
"I know that fans want to see it, I know I want to do this and I know that deep down in Joshua's heart he wants to do it too.
"So Eddie, send over the contract. Let's do it."
