Zhilei Zhang Doubts Francis Ngannou Even Has A Puncher’s Chance Against Tyson Fury

Zhilei Zhang doesn’t think Francis Ngannou has much of a chance against Tyson Fury.

Ngannou and Fury are set to fight in October in Saudi Arabia in a fight that caught many by surprise. The two will throw down on Oct. 28, and Zhang doesn’t think the bout will be all that close as he expects Fury to run through the former UFC heavyweight champion.

“Ngannou doesn’t even have a puncher’s chance,” Zhang told BoxingScene.com through his translator. “It’s a college student against a kindergartner.”

What makes Zhilei Zhang more frustrated is he says he was close to making the Tyson Fury fight happen. However, after Joe Joyce activated the rematch clause, Fury turned his attention to the money fight and will box Ngannou.

“We were pretty close to making the Tyson Fury fight, until Joe Joyce activated the rematch clause,” said Zhang. “It was a roller coaster because, for me, [fighting Fury] was my ultimate goal. And I was that close to getting there. All of a sudden, Joe Joyce activated the rematch clause. But we deal with what we have in front of us. After beating Joe Joyce again, the roller coaster is still going up. We can still get there.”

Zhilei Zhang is coming off an upset sixth-round TKO victory over Joe Joyce back in April after losing to Filip Hrgovic by decision the year prior. In his career, Zhang also holds notable wins over Devin Vargas, Andriy Rudenko, and Peter Graham. His rematch against Joyce is set for September 23.

Would you have liked to see Zhilei Zhang vs. Tyson Fury?