Zhilei Zhang scored a stunning upset over Joe Joyce in London on Saturday night to shake up the ever-unpredictable world of heavyweight boxing.
Joyce headed into the contest between two hulking heavy hitters seemingly on the cusp of shots at reigning world champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Those are now men who might loom in Zhang's immediate future after the 39-year-old turned in a devastating performance, battering Joyce's right eye shut as the home fighter left himself badly exposed to thudding southpaw lefts and right hooks.
"Next step, I'm going for the title," Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KOs) said in the ring afterwards. Here, we look at how the veteran might get his wish.
MORE: Sign up to watch Joe Joyce vs. Zhilei Zhang, exclusively on ESPN+
Tyson Fury vs. Zhilei Zhang
After the interminable frustration that was the failed public negotiations for Fury vs. Usyk, the WBC heavyweight champion remains without a dance partner for a proposed summer return. Former unified champion Andy Ruiz has been mooted but Zhang's battering of Joyce might just put him at the front of the queue.
Joyce and Fury share a promoter in Queensbury, which means the lines of communication are open in terms of doing a deal with Zhang to face the Gypsy King. It's a fight that could fill Wembley Stadium or head to a Macau casino, giving Zhang a celebratory homecoming of sorts. The latter option could also leverage the sort of payday that is seemingly necessary to do business with Fury in something approaching a smooth fashion.
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Zhilei Zhang
Talking of a Zhang homecoming, how about this one? He won his Olympic super heavyweight silver medal at his home Games in Beijing in 2008. Four years later, Usyk won heavyweight gold in a dazzling display in London (Zhang did not get a medal in 2012, more on that below).
Usyk is, of course, unable to fight at home nowadays on account of Russia's war in Ukraine. Imagine the two Olympians facing off at the Bird's Nest Stadium, the striking centrepiece of the Beijing Games. In terms of opening up the heavyweight division to a huge new market – not to mention some very deep pockets — Zhang's win over Joyce could end up being something of a game-changer.
MORE: SN's heavyweight boxing rankings: Is Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk No. 1 in 2023 ratings?
Anthony Joshua vs. Zhilei Zhang
A few months ago, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn discussed the possibility of his fighter boxing Zhang at the Bird's Nest as part of a world-touring rebuild. Joshua's plans might have changed since then, but Zhang would be a far more notable scalp now he has the Joyce victory under his belt.
During the build-up, Joyce claimed Joshua turned down Zhang in favour of facing Jermaine Franklin. Such caution looked judicious after how Saturday unfolded, but Joshua does have a notable win over Zhang in the amateurs. He decked the Chinese fighter in the London 2012 quarterfinals to ruin his hopes of back-to-back medals. That's some tasty narrative to underpin the build-up to a fight that would not be for a world title. Given his advancing years, Zhang will be keen to go for gold as soon as possible, but Joshua still represents a life-changing payday.
Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce 2
Joyce has a rematch clause, so all of the above megafights will be moot speculation if that is activated. The comprehensive nature of Zhang's win — from The Sporting News' ringside vantage point, he won four of the five completed rounds — means this bout would not hold any particular trepidation and the older man should start as favourite in an immediate return.
There would be a sense of going over old ground unnecessarily while grasping for contrived notions of unanswered questions, as is often the case in this modern era of liberally applied rematch clauses. Joyce would be well advised to go in another direction for his rebuild but a second instalment of a clash that gelled to Zhang's benefit is on the table.