Zhilei Zhang On Fighting Daniel Dubois Next: ‘Hell Yea’

The heavyweight division has been disrupted quite a few times in the past few years with fights like the trilogy between Deontary Wilder and Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk defeating Fury, and Joseph Parker having a second run. IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs) added to that disruption by brutally stopping Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) in front of 96,000 in attendance at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night. One heavyweight who was watching closely and even predicted a Dubois knockout on social media the day prior is none other than the 41-year-old Chinese heavyweight contender Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs). After seeing Dubois destroy Joshua, FightsATW asked Zhang if he wanted to be Dubois’ next opponent. Zhang answered, “Hell Yeah!”

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Zhang is known for his big performances inside the ring (stopping Joe Joyce twice and knocking out Deontay Wilder in June), his fun one-liners like “I bang you,” and the videos he posts on his social media platforms. On Friday, a video was taken at a gym with Zhang and his team as they were asked for predictions by the cameraman. Zhang did not hesitate when asked and said, “Dubois by KO.” Not many, including the oddsmakers, agreed with Zhang on his prediction, but it had to be something he saw that made him lean towards a Dubois knockout. FightsATW asked Zhang about his prediction, and his thoughts made all of the sense in the world.

“I look at the process over the years,” said Zhang. “When you look at AJ’s previous opponents, giving them all respect, they aren’t at this level as of yet. AJ hasn’t been practicing his craft in the ring, and he’s been finishing them off in one or two rounds. But when you look at Dubois, he’s fought tougher opponents (Jarell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, etc.), and those are really learning experiences. When it comes to experience, Dubois has more than AJ with the last few fights.”

Zhang tuned into the heavyweight clash on Saturday, and when it began, he was “in shock” at what he saw play out in the ring. “I am, was, and still am in shock,” said Zhang. “Since the opening bell, Dubois put a lot of pressure on Joshua, which led to the knockdown in the first round. It was a shock for me how Dubois performed and put that pressure on AJ, but it all makes sense when you look at Dubois’ past fights. Beating Miller, then Hrgovic, and now Joshua, gives Dubois a lot of confidence.” Zhang added, “When you look at the dynamic of the division and who has the belt, Dubois has a belt, so I definitely want to fight him.”

Although October or November was the original fight window for Zhang after he destroyed Wilder in June, Terry Lane, who is Zhang’s advisor along with his brother Tommy, told FightsATW that they are now targeting December. The only question that remains is who? “When we first signed with Queensberry, we were given the preference on who we wanted to fight first between Joe Joyce and Daniel Dubois,” said Lane. “We thought we were taking the tougher choice in Joe Joyce, especially since Joyce had the win over Dubois which aged well. We are friends with Dubois and gave him all the congratulations, but we do like that fight (Dubois vs. Zhang). We are still targeting December regardless of who and where it is.”

If Zhang’s team stays to course, it may very well be against Dubois in December, as Frank Warren mentioned inside the ring during the post-fight interview that Dubois could return before the year’s end. A Dubois vs. Zhang fight as the co-main to Usyk vs. Fury 2 in December would make for a highly anticipated PPV to finish the year.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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