Frank Warren is working on a fight between Daniel Dubois and Zhilei Zhang, according to Queensberry Promotions’ Dev Sahni. This is a match I would welcome because it forces answers from two heavyweights who both fight best when the action turns physical and closes the distance.
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 as the jab began to land with authority and his balance shifted under pressure. His team explored a route to Fabio Wardley but the road appears to be 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 on a Riyadh season ticket in February 2025. Zhang scored a takedown in the fifth, but the fight turned once Kabayel connected to the body and kept him close to work. 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 walked Joyce twice and finished him off. Dubois, by contrast, was broken down by Joyce’s jab over ten rounds in 2020, suffering an orbital injury after repeated, accurate leads. The same vulnerability surfaced against Usyk in Poland in 2023, where another southpaw jab put him down.
Power Against Power
Both men are hard-hitting punchers who favor set footwork and mid-range exchanges. Dubois works best behind a tight jab and straight when he can step into shots. Zhang relies on timing and heavy hooks once opponents settle. The questions are clear. Can Dubois maintain form once pressure builds and exchanges lengthen. Can Zhang last past the middle rounds after long layoffs.
It’s a fight I’d like to see because it strips away safety nets. No belts to hide behind. No long distance fence. Just two heavyweights who have to prove that they can still punch and impose themselves when the ring gets small.
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Last updated on 16/01/2026
