Zhang seeks to knock out the undefeated Kabayel

Zhilei Zhang gave Agit Kabayel a surprise gift during his press conference ahead of their WBC interim heavyweight title clash next month on February 22 in Riyadh.

The two-time Olympian approached Kabayel (25-0, 17 KOs) and handed him an envelope, which he opened to reveal a photo of the Chinese heavyweight. Zhilei said the gift was part of the Chinese New Year.

Predator mentality

Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) and the undefeated Kabayel will fight on the undercard of the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol 2 rematch in Riyadh. It’s an important fight for both heavyweights, obviously, but it might mean a little more to Zhang, 41, due to his age. He is running out of time to be in a position to capture a world title against one of the two champions.

Last year, Zhang lost his WBO interim belt to Joseph Parker by a controversial 12-round majority decision on March 8 in Riyadh. The 291-pound Zhilei appeared to be on his way to an early knockout after knocking down Parker in the third round, but then ran out of gas.

Parker then went on to dominate the second half of the fight, using his slick skills to win an ugly decision. Zhang also knocked down Parker in the eighth round, and seemed to have done enough to qualify for the victory. The judges gave it to Parker with scores 114-112, 115-111 and 114-114.

“I’m not a big fan of being a snake. I want to be an eagle. When an eagle sees its prey, it will grab it by the ear and just drop it,” Zhang said during the press conference, talking about how he plans to fight Kabayel.

A unique surprise gift from Zhang to Kabayel 😂🎁#TheLastCrescendo | February 22 | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/tXUtmyD5Ml

– Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) January 13, 2025

Zhilei Zhang the eagle 🦅#TheLastCrescendo | February 22 | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/edOGvOMLqD

– Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) January 13, 2025