Anthony Joshua, the former heavyweight champion, has received an offer to fight Zhilei Zhang. The Chinese boxer wants to settle an old score from their 2012 Olympic encounter.
Joshua's career has seen ups and downs lately. He lost his world titles to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and couldn't win them back in their rematch. Then, in September, he suffered a surprising defeat to Daniel Dubois, getting knocked down several times before the fight was stopped in the fifth round.
Now, Joshua has to decide his next move. He could try to get his IBF title back in a rematch with Dubois. Or he could take on Zhang, who's been making waves in the heavyweight division.
Zhang has had an impressive run recently. He stopped Deontay Wilder and Joe Joyce, though he lost to Joseph Parker. He's keen to face Joshua and settle their old rivalry.
In an interview with Boxing News, Zhang made his intentions clear:
"Eddie is calling the shots right now. Let's say Eddie sends me the contract tomorrow, I'll sign it tomorrow. I'm very interested, I want to get that London Olympic loss back."
Zhang even suggested they could fight at Beijing's National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest.
Joshua's career has been a rollercoaster. He won his first world title from Charles Martin and went on to unify the heavyweight division with wins over Joseph Parker and Wladimir Klitschko.
But then came the shock. On his US debut at Madison Square Garden in June 2019, Andy Ruiz Jr knocked him out. Joshua got revenge six months later in Saudi Arabia, winning by a clear points decision.
After beating Kubrat Pulev, Joshua lost his titles to Usyk. He couldn't win them back in the rematch, and now Usyk has become the undisputed champion after beating Tyson Fury in May.
Joshua now faces a tough choice. A rematch with Dubois could give him a shot at the IBF title. But a fight with Zhang could be risky. He'll have to weigh up the potential rewards against the risks as he plots his path back to the top of the heavyweight division.
