Reports had come out over the last few days about a grudge match between the heavyweight pair.
Reports have come out over the last few days that the team of former WBO interim heavyweight champion Zhilei Zhang are interested in organising a grudge match with former WBA (Regular) and IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.
As reported by Sky Sports, Terry Lane, Zhang’s co-manager, has stated that his man “absolutely wants” a fight with Dubois.
Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang (27-3-1, 22 KOs) was long considered a dangerous contender, yet an unknown quantity, for most of his career. For most people, their first exposure to the 6’6″ Chinese powerhouse was in his fight with Filip Hrgovic, which took place on the Oleksandr Usyk VS. Anthony Joshua 2 undercard over three years ago.
Neither Zhang nor Hrgovic proved much in that fight, as both knocked lumps out of each other before becoming very tired. Once the fight was finished, both seemed a breath away from collapsing.
After a contentious decision in Hrgovic’s favour, Zhang’s true quality was more of a mystery than ever. It was then that he took on England’s Joe Joyce, owner of the WBO interim title and a record of 15-0 (14 KOs).
Zhang would break more than a few British hearts when he stopped Joyce in the sixth round with a badly swollen eye. In the rematch, Zhang needed half that time, thumping a huge shot off Joyce’s steel chin and stopping him in the third.
The world then properly took notice, recognising the danger that Zhang possessed. This momentum was halted when he was outboxed by Joseph Parker, losing a majority decision despite scoring two knockdowns.
This momentum was seemingly regained when Zhang knocked out Deontay Wilder in the last fight of the Queensberry-Matchroom 5v5 bill, but it all came crashing back down when Agit Kabayel took him out with the use of his relentless body attack.
Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs), on the other hand, has experienced his own set of highs and lows. After rocketing to 15-0, with only one win by decision, he took on the aforementioned Joyce, who stopped him in the tenth when Dubois went down with a fractured eye socket.
Dubois would regroup with a series of wins, one of which was a knockout over Trevor Bryan to win the WBA (Regular) title. This was followed by a very big scare against Kevin Lerena, who floored Dubois three times in the first round before getting stopped in the third.
Dubois then challenged three-belt champion Oleksandr Usyk in Poland. Despite getting largely outboxed, Dubois did land a shot in the fifth round that deposited the Ukrainian onto the canvas. Though it was officially ruled a low blow, many believed it to be a legal shot. Whatever the case, Usyk was given time to recover and stopped Dubois three rounds later.
Dubois then rebounded once again, stopping both Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic and taking their undefeated records in the process. The latter win earned him the IBF interim title, which was later upgraded to the full thing after Usyk chose to vacate.
It was the IBF title that Dubois carried into the ring with him when he four times decked Anthony Joshua and ultimately knocked him out in what was considered by quite a few as a sizable upset.
A twin defeat to Usyk in a fight for the undisputed championship then all but flatlined Dubois’s newfound beat.
And so, here we are. Two big heavyweights, two big punchers, both coming off defeats, both experiencing more than their fair share of falls, and both with a whole lot to prove.
Could the timing be any more perfect?
Dubois has often been criticised for a perceived lack of heart, while Zhang has often been criticised for a lack of stamina. One thing that nobody has ever doubted from either, though, is their ability to punch.
Both would have the opportunity to jump-start their reputations in this fight, if only for just a little bit more time.
And for Zhang, time is something that is desperately slipping away from him. For despite his size and power, he simply cannot escape the fact that he will be 43 years old this May. And for Dubois, a defeat to a man in such a scenario could prove catastrophic.
I’m not sure who would win in a fight between the two, but one thing I do know is that when ‘Big Bang’ collides with ‘Dynamite’, that’s one mighty big explosion.
Daniel Dubois could be on a collision course with Zhilei Zhang who ‘absolutely wants’ a fight against Britain’s former world heavyweight champion đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/j8ZdJviPk2
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) January 17, 2026
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