Frank Warren is working on a fight between Daniel Dubois and Zhilei Zhang, according to Queensberry Promotions’ Dev Sahni. It is a matchup I would welcome because it forces answers from two heavyweights who both fight best when the action turns physical and distance closes.
Dubois has been inactive since his second stoppage loss to Oleksandr Usyk in July 2025 at Wembley Stadium. Usyk dropped him in the fifth round and closed the show soon after to become a two-time undisputed champion. Dubois struggled once the jab began landing with authority and his balance shifted under pressure. His team explored a route toward Fabio Wardley, but that path appears blocked with Wardley preparing for a WBO defense against Derek Chisora.
Zhang’s Recent Activity
Zhang has been out even longer. The 42-year-old was stopped by Agit Kabayel in February 2025 on a Riyadh Season card. Zhang scored a knockdown in the fifth, but the fight turned once Kabayel committed to the body and kept him working in close. Sustained rib shots and fatigue took their toll in the sixth. Since then, Zhang has not returned to the ring.
The stylistic link between these two runs through Joe Joyce. Zhang twice walked Joyce down and finished him. Dubois, by contrast, was broken down by Joyce’s jab over ten rounds in 2020, suffering an orbital injury after repeated, accurate lead hands. The same vulnerability showed up against Usyk in Poland in 2023, where another southpaw jab put him down.
Power Against Power
Both men are heavy-handed punchers who prefer set feet and mid-range exchanges. Dubois works best behind a stiff jab and straight right when he can step into shots. Zhang relies on timing and heavy hooks once opponents square up. The questions are clear. Can Dubois hold form once pressure builds and exchanges lengthen. Can Zhang sustain pace past the middle rounds after long layoffs.
It is a fight I would like to see because it strips away safety nets. No belts to hide behind. No long-range fencing. Just two heavyweights who need to prove they can still bang and impose themselves when the ring gets small.
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Last Updated on 01/16/2026
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