Zhang Peimian Says He No Longer Fights With A Teenager’s Mind
Four years ago, one teenager’s title dream ended in the final minute of a five-round war. On July 17, he gets it back.
Zhang Peimian challenges Jonathan Di Bella for the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title in the main event of The Inner Circle 22 on Friday, July 17. The rematch streams live for members from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
Their first meeting at ONE 162 in October 2022 was a genuine war, with Zhang matching the Canadian-Italian southpaw blow for blow until a fifth-round head kick knockdown proved decisive. Looking back now, Zhang has something to tell the 19-year-old who walked into that fight.
“I would tell him that there is no winning before the final bell rings. Give everything you have before that last second,” the 22-year-old reflected.
Di Bella, a lifelong New York Knicks fan, arrives in career-best form. The 29-year-old carries a 15-1 record and a three-fight winning streak that has established him as one of the most complete strikers on the planet.
Their first fight carried a psychological battle as much as a technical one, and Di Bella’s efforts to get inside his rival’s head worked in ways the teenager could not handle at the time. Nearly four years of experience have closed that door for good.
“My weapons are sharpened, and my mind is stronger. He was taunting me during the whole fight, and I fell for it in the moment. It won’t happen again,” he said.
The years between the two fights reshaped Zhang as a person as much as a fighter. A prolonged stretch of public criticism during a losing streak tested him in ways competition never had.
“When I first got to the top five at ONE Championship, people loved me like crazy. I couldn’t eat on my own because people were lining up to have dinner with me. Then, I was falling into a losing streak, and the amount of hate [I received on] social media was unbelievable,” “Fighting Rooster” offered.
“It lasted for two years. I was angry at first, and then I tried to understand, but eventually, I just enjoyed it. Now that I got a winning streak, and I got the title shot, more and more people started to show me love, but I just don’t get emotional anymore. I think I changed a lot mentally since the last time we fought.”
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