Eddie Hearn says he’d be open to an Anthony Joshua and Zhilei Zhang fight in China if the money was right, even though the focus is still on firming up a meeting between Joshua and Deontay Wilder.
Zhang was victorious over Joe Joyce on Saturday night, with a third round knockout over the British fighter, which could possibly put an end to Joyce’s career.
Attention now turns to who the WBO interim champion would face next and Heard hasn’t dismissed the possibility of Zhang fighting Joshua.
Asked about a meeting of the two fighters, Hearn told iFL TV that it’s something that could happen.
‘Yeah absolutely,’ he said.
Eddie Hearn has hinted he’d be open to a Anthony Joshua fighter with Zhilei Zhang in China
Anthony Joshua’s next fight could be against Zhang although the focus is on Deontay Wilder
Zhang retained his WBO interim championship with a third round knockout of Joe Joyce
‘AJ’s always fancied that fight. He beat him in the amateurs. It was a good fight.
‘We want to make the Wilder fight, but Zhang is an easier fight. Why not?’
Hearn went on to confirm he’d be happy to do the fight in China because ‘money talks’ or at Wembley.
Joshua fought Zhang at the 2012 Olympics, and beat the Chinaman 15-11 in the quarter-finals of the games on route to winning a gold medal at the event.
A decade on, there would be interest in another meeting between the pair, even if Hearn doesn’t believe that Zhang is an elite heavyweight at this current time.
“Zhilei Zhang is a good fighter. He’s not an elite heavyweight, in my opinion, but he’s a world-class heavyweight,’ he added.
Joshua and Zhang met at the 2012 Olympics during AJ’s run to winning the gold medal
After beating Joyce on Saturday Zhang has also set his sights on a fight with Tyson Fury
‘When I say “Elite,” I’m talking, like top three, four, or five in the division. No, not really. I think there’s an argument he could creep into number five, but he’s a lovely man.’
While a fight with Joshua could be put in motion, it seems Zhang has his sights set on another Brit in Tyson Fury.
Following his victory at the weekend, the 40-year-old took to a mic while be interviewed by TNT Sports and asked the crowd ‘Do you want to see me shut Tyson Fury up?!’
He later reiterated in interviews after the fight his desire to stop Fury from running his mouth and stated ‘We’re boxers. We fight we don’t talk. Tyson Fury talks too much.