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Matchroom Boxing have managed to scrounge up a new opponent for Zhang Zhilei on less than 10 days’ notice, and while it’s not as appealing a foe as the waylaid Sergey Kuzmin, things could definitely have been worse. Ukrainian veteran Andriy Rudenko has answered the call to face “Big Bang” in Monaco this Saturday.
Rudenko (32-4, 20 KO) is utterly dwarfed by Zhang (20-0, 16 KO), giving up 5.5 inches of height to the Olympic medalist, but has experience against solid heavyweights. He’s been in there with the likes of Lucas Browne, Hughie Fury, Alexander Povetkin, and Agit Kabayel, and though all four beat him, none of them managed to stop him. Zhang will most likely have to put in 10 rounds of work.
At least it’s not Kevin Johnson, I suppose.
Radzhab Butaev and Alexander Besputin headline on DAZN with a supporting cast that includes Cecelia Braekhus and the aforementioned Fury,