Zhilei Zhang admits 'money grab' motivations as he opens door to Jake Paul contest

Heavyweight colossus has admitted that he would consider fighting in the future as he opened up the door to a 'money grab' bout. The Chinese powerhouse last fought in June when he dispatched of former WBC world champion in a savage fifth round knockout.

The 41-year-old as he responded defiantly to losing the WBO interim heavyweight title fight against Joseph Parker in March. Despite flooring the latter twice in that contest, he lost via a majority points decision - with his determination to restore his standing in the weight division plain to see against Wilder.

After pulling off arguably the most significant victory of his career in his most recent fight, 'Big Bang' is now setting his sights on a glamour bout against . In an exclusive interview with the Express, arranged by , he responded to speculation that he could face off against the internet sensation in the future, saying: "Yes, I will do that. And who doesn't want to make some money?

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"It's a money grab if that happens. But all jokes aside, he's fighting , who is my idol growing up. I believe at the age of 50, 60 years old, and he's still out there, training hard and trying to bang with the youngsters, I feel like it's a great motivation. He has my best wishes."

Before any hypothetical battle between the pair can be arranged, . Giving his verdict on the legitimacy of that affair as a contest, Zhang said: "I know a lot of people have their own opinions on this fight and whether or not it should happen.

"But in my opinion, I watched Mike Tyson's fights growing up and he's like the god of war in my mind. Now in his 60s, he's fighting with a guy in his 20s, which is an incredible achievement already. I really hope for the best for him and I wish him the best and good luck."

As for his own reputation , the Chinese fighter admitted that the win has potentially put peers off wanting to step into the ring with him. He continued: "It's a double-edged sword. The good thing is after I lost to Parker in March, I was kind of out of the mix, but with the victory, I was back in the mix again.

"That's the good thing about it. It put my career right back on track. The negative side is that after knocking out Wilder, people look at me like he's from another planet. They don't want to fight me. They look at me like somebody they want to avoid at all costs.

"That puts me and my team in a difficult position in terms of looking for opponents and securing big fights. I really feel like the elite heavyweights should just come and face me and just let it be done."

That said, Zhang has set his sights on facing IBF heavyweight world champion Daniel Dubois next year . He added: "Well, definitely I do, but I don't think it's going to happen this year because we're coming to an end, but 2025, I do hope that happens. Also, Daniel, if you want to fight me, send me the contract I will sign right away."