Zhilei Zhang gave Agit Kabayelo a surprise gift during their 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 picture of the Chinese heavyweight. Zhilei said the gift was part of the Chinese New Year.
Predator’s way of thinking
Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KO) and undefeated Kabayel will fight on the undercard of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 rematch in Riyadh. It’s an important fight for both heavyweights, obviously, but it could mean a little more for the 41-year-old Zhang because of his age. He is running out of time to put himself in a position to win the world title against one of the two champions.
Last year, Zhang lost his WBO interim belt to Joseph Parker via a controversial 12-round majority decision on March 8 in Riyadh. The 291lb Zhilei appeared to be on his way to an early knockout after dropping Parker in the third round, but ran out of gas after that.
Parker then dominated the second half of the fight, using his slick skills to get an ugly decision. Zhang also knocked Parker down in the eighth round, and appeared to have done enough to claim the win. The judges gave it to Parker with scores of 114-112, 115-111 and 114-114.
“I’m not a big fan of being a snake. I want to be an eagle. When the eagle sees that it is prey, it will grab it in the air and just drop it,” Zhang said during a press conference, talking about how he plans to fight Kabayel.
A unique surprise gift from Zhang for Kabayel 😂🎁#Last Crescendo | February 22 | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/tXUtmyD5Ml
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) January 13, 2025
Zhilei Zhang eagle 🦅#Last Crescendo | February 22 | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/edOGvOMLqD
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) January 13, 2025
