Zhilei Zhang has stated how he believes that Anthony Joshua has been ducking him since they first met over a decade ago.

In the London 2012 Olympics, the two fighters met at the quarter finals in boxing, a match that saw Joshua win via decision. AJ would then go on to take home the gold medal for Great Britain, starting his illustrious career.

Since then, Zhang has been vocal on his ambitions to face the gold medallist in hopes of acquiring redemption.

After Zhang’s recent impressive win against Deontay Wilder, he still believes he won’t get the chance to face the former two-time unified heavyweight champion.

Zhilei Zhang Disappointed With Anthony Joshua

‘Mark my words, he’s not fighting me’

Speaking to the MMA hour, ‘Big Bang’ spoke on his disappointment and his opinion on some of the match ups AJ has accepted instead.

“Mark my words, he’s not fighting me,” Zhang said.

“He’s not going to fight me, ever. Because after the 2012 Olympic Games, that was when we initially collided. After that, it’s been so many years. I was with Matchroom [Boxing] and I know what happened. I don’t think he’s ever going to fight me. My managers flew to London and I got words. So I don’t think he’s going to fight me.”

Zhang then pointed to Joshua’s recent opponents, since he suffered back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.

“Look at his previous opponents. Francis Ngannou from the UFC, Robert Helenius — I don’t think he has what it takes to stand up against me. The way he picks his opponents says a lot about him.”

Zhang Believes Joshua Promoter Hearn is ‘Protecting’ Him

‘He’s a cash cow for Eddie.’

Joshua is set to fight Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title at Wembley Stadium on the 21st of September. This match up comes after his impressive victories against Francis Ngannou and Otto Wallin. However, these boxing opponents have been critiqued, with Zhang claiming that Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing promoter, is protecting his ‘investment’.

“Neither does Eddie. They don’t want it, He’s a cash cow for Eddie. The closest time we had to getting the deal done was after AJ lost to Usyk and I lost to Filip Hrgovic in Saudi Arabia. My managers got an invitation, flew to London to talk to them, and got a no.

“I don’t know why. I don’t have a reason. That’s his problem. But if he ever wants to fight, I’m in.”

After redeeming himself against Andy Ruiz, and then losing twice to Oleksandr Usyk, many fans believed the end was near for Joshua at the top of the heavyweight division. However, since the double Ukrainian loss, Joshua has four back-to-back wins, with three coming by knockout. The four victories showcased AJ’s s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s and definitely put him back on the map in heavyweight boxing.

With a chance to claim the IBF heavyweight title, and a potential shot at the winner between Tyson Fury and Usyk, Joshua’s chance at redemption in the division is coming. Regardless, Zhang refuses to accept the British heavyweight as ‘back’ until he gets a shot at him.

“Maybe people say he’s back.”

“He knocked out Ngannou in two rounds, he beat Robert Helenius, knocked him out, and he beat Jermaine Franklin, Otto Wallin. I can’t say he’s back until I meet him in the ring and test him with my fists.”

“I’m looking at the top-ranked guys, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are definitely ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, and I’m looking to fight them, for sure. If you go down the rankings, Agit Kabayel is highly ranked, so that could be on my radar as well. [Or] Parker. Rematch.”