Zhang Zhilei: I was too relaxed in Parker defeat

Chinese heavyweight boxer Zhang Zhilei says he was too relaxed during his defeat to Joseph Parker and is relishing the chance to avenge the loss in a rematch at the end of the year.

Zhang knocked Parker to the canvas twice in a thrilling bout in Saudi Arabia, but lost on points after the New Zealand heavyweight altered his tactics and landed some telling blows of his own in the second half of the fight.

The defeat was the second of Zhang's career, and in an exclusive interview with CGTN Europe, the 40-year-old admits he made tactical mistakes that ultimately cost him victory.

He said: "I probably didn't have the same mentality as when I fought Joe Joyce, because when I fought Joyce, I told myself I was going to take the belt from him, and then in the second fight, it was me guarding the belt. The desire to defeat him was very strong.

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"After defeating Joyce, I became overconfident, which made me a bit too relaxed when fighting Joseph Parker. In fact, in the first half of the fight, I had the upper hand totally. Towards the end, he changed his tactics. He tried to control the distance, so I couldn't hit him. I started to feel anxious.

He added: "After the game, I thought about it. I did have a lot of that training for that - including what to do when he held me - but somehow I didn't get my head around it in the second half of the game. I failed to draw on some of the strategies."

Despite the defeat, Zhang has been linked with fights against some of the heavyweight division's biggest names, but he says his eyes are firmly set on a second fight with Parker.

"We signed a rematch clause before the fight," he said. "As an interim heavyweight champion of the World Boxing Organisation, I was entitled to a rematch if I lost. If I had won, we wouldn't have a rematch. The second fight will happen at the end of this year."

That fight is likely to take place in Saudi Arabia, but Zhang remains hopeful of bringing a fight to China and inspiring a new generation of Chinese boxers to pursue their dreams of becoming professional fighters.

"We are working hard right now to bring a fight to China," says Zhang. "There are some difficulties in making it happen but we are working very hard. I think that if a top boxing championship match is held in China, it will be a source of inspiration for China's boxers and Chinese boxing fans."

He added: "China has been developing rapidly in recent decades, and so have Chinese sports. Since the Beijing Olympics in 2008 when Chinese athletes won the most gold medals for the first time, the entire Chinese sports industry has had a big leap forward. For me, I want to let the world know about China through boxing, and then let China know more about the the world."

Interview by Aden Jay Wood

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