Zhilei Zhang (Chinese: 张志磊; born May 2, 1983) is a Chinese professional boxer from Shenqiu County, Henan Province. Per Wikipedia, he held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) interim heavyweight title from 2023 to 2024. As an amateur, he won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics, bronze medals at the 2007 and 2009 World Championships, and gold at the 2010 Asian Games.
Zhang — nicknamed "Big Bang" — turned professional in August 2014 in the United States, knocking out Curtis Tate in 17 seconds on debut. His rise was slowed by promotional and visa problems, and he drew with Jerry Forrest in February 2021 after going 22–0. He beat Joe Joyce twice in 2023 to win and defend the WBO interim heavyweight title, lost it to Joseph Parker in March 2024, and lost a fight for the vacant WBC interim title to Agit Kabayel in February 2025.
BoxRec-style profile
- Birth name: Zhang Zhilei (张志磊)
- Born: May 2, 1983 — Qianzhangying, Shenqiu County, Zhoukou, Henan Province, China
- Nationality: Chinese
- Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
- Reach: 80 in (203 cm)
- Stance: Southpaw
- Pro debut: Aug 8, 2014 (Win by TKO vs Curtis Lee Tate)
- Last bout: Feb 22, 2025 (Loss by KO vs Agit Kabayel)
- Total rounds boxed: 116 (summed from the bout table below)
- Divisions: Heavyweight
- KO percentage: 81.5% (22 KO wins in 27 wins)
- Titles held (major, with reign dates): WBO interim heavyweight title April 15, 2023 – March 8, 2024 (won from Joe Joyce; lost to Joseph Parker)
- Born: May 2, 1983 — Qianzhangying, Shenqiu County, Zhoukou, Henan Province, China
- Nationality: Chinese
- Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
- Reach: 80 in (203 cm)
- Stance: Southpaw
- Divisions: Heavyweight
Record at a glance
- Total bouts: 31
- Wins: 27
- Wins by KO: 22
- Losses: 3
- Losses by KO: 1
- Draws: 1
- No contests: 0
- Born: May 2, 1983 — Qianzhangying, Shenqiu County, Zhoukou, Henan Province, China
- Nationality: Chinese
- Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
- Reach: 80 in (203 cm)
- Stance: Southpaw
- Divisions: Heavyweight
Fight-by-fight record
| No. | Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round/Time | Venue / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 8, 2014 | Curtis Lee Tate | Win | TKO | 1 (4), 0:17 | Churchill County Fairgrounds, Fallon, Nevada, U.S. |
| 2 | Jan 17, 2015 | Perry Filkins | Win | TKO | 1 (4), 1:10 | Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut, U.S. |
| 3 | Mar 14, 2015 | Eric George | Win | UD | 4 | Jersey City Armory, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 4 | Jun 6, 2015 | Glenn Thomas | Win | UD | 4 | Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| 5 | Aug 15, 2015 | Dennis Benson | Win | TKO | 6 (6), 0:56 | The Playground, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 6 | Nov 21, 2015 | Juan Goode | Win | UD | 4 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 7 | Feb 20, 2016 | David Koswara | Win | TKO | 1 (6), 0:37 | Lanzhou Gymnasium, Lanzhou, China |
| 8 | Mar 26, 2016 | Tyree Ortiz | Win | TKO | 3 (4), 2:14 | Oracle Arena, Oakland, California U.S. |
| 9 | May 13, 2016 | John Orr | Win | TKO | 1 (6), 2:27 | D.C. Armory, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| 10 | Jun 11, 2016 | Jamal Woods | Win | TKO | 2 (6), 0:41 | Marina Bay SportsPlex, Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| 11 | Jul 22, 2016 | Rodney Hernandez | Win | UD | 6 | Claridge Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 12 | Sep 30, 2016 | Gogita Gorgiladze | Win | TKO | 1 (8), 1:17 | Wenzhou Gymnasium, Wenzhou, China |
| 13 | Dec 10, 2016 | Galen Brown | Win | TKO | 2 (6), 1:50 | Marina Bay SportsPlex, Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| 14 | Jan 21, 2017 | Peter Graham | Win | KO | 1 (10), 2:58 | Hebei Sports Venue, Shijiazhuang, China — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBO Oriental heavyweight title |
| 15 | Apr 29, 2017 | Mark Brown | Win | KO | 1 (8), 2:03 | CenterStage@NoDa, Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| 16 | May 26, 2017 | Curtis Harper | Win | TKO | 1 (8), 2:34 | Hotel & Club, Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. |
| 17 | Aug 5, 2017 | Nick Guivas | Win | TKO | 1 (10), 2:43 | Claridge Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 18 | Sep 23, 2017 | Byron Polley | Win | TKO | 1 (10), 2:30 | Hartman Arena, Park City, Kansas, U.S. |
| 19 | Jul 20, 2018 | Eugen Buchmueller | Win | KO | 1 (10), 1:03 | WinnaVegas Casino Resort, Sloan, Iowa, U.S. |
| 20 | Sep 28, 2018 | Don Haynesworth | Win | TKO | 3 (10), 1:48 | Dayun No. 1 Stadium, Changsha Social Work College, Changsha, China — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO Oriental heavyweight title |
| 21 | Nov 30, 2019 | Andriy Rudenko | Win | UD | 10 | Casino de Salle Medicin, Monte Carlo, Monaco — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO Oriental heavyweight title |
| 22 | Nov 7, 2020 | Devin Vargas | Win | KO | 4 (10), 1:49 | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida, U.S. |
| 23 | Feb 27, 2021 | Jerry Forrest | Draw | MD | 10 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. |
| 24 | Nov 27, 2021 | Craig Lewis | Win | TKO | 2 (8), 2:10 | Hulu Theater, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| 25 | May 7, 2022 | Scott Alexander | Win | KO | 1 (10), 1:51 | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 26 | Aug 20, 2022 | Filip Hrgović | Loss | UD | 12 | King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
| 27 | Apr 15, 2023 | Joe Joyce | Win | TKO | 6 (12), 1:23 | Copper Box Arena, London, England — ★ Title fight — Won WBO interim heavyweight title |
| 28 | Sep 23, 2023 | Joe Joyce | Win | KO | 3 (12), 3:07 | Wembley Arena, London, England — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO interim heavyweight title |
| 29 | Mar 8, 2024 | Joseph Parker | Loss | MD | 12 | Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — ★ Title fight — Lost WBO interim heavyweight title |
| 30 | Jun 1, 2024 | Deontay Wilder | Win | TKO | 5 (12), 1:51 | Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| 31 | Feb 22, 2025 | Agit Kabayel | Loss | KO | 6 (12), 2:29 | ANB Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — ★ Title fight — For vacant WBC interim heavyweight title |
Titles & notes
Major title reigns (start–end): WBO interim heavyweight title April 15, 2023 – March 8, 2024 (won from Joe Joyce; lost to Joseph Parker)
- Jan 21, 2017 vs Peter Graham: Won vacant WBO Oriental heavyweight title
- Sep 28, 2018 vs Don Haynesworth: Retained WBO Oriental heavyweight title
- Nov 30, 2019 vs Andriy Rudenko: Retained WBO Oriental heavyweight title
- Apr 15, 2023 vs Joe Joyce: Won WBO interim heavyweight title
- Sep 23, 2023 vs Joe Joyce: Retained WBO interim heavyweight title
- Mar 8, 2024 vs Joseph Parker: Lost WBO interim heavyweight title
- Feb 22, 2025 vs Agit Kabayel: For vacant WBC interim heavyweight title
Photo: China News Service via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). Featured image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Zhilei_Zhang_2021.jpg
Record source: Wikipedia professional boxing record table (cross-checked against the bout list), retrieved 2026-10-27.
