Zhilei Zhang to Fight in China Next, Promoter Frank Warren Reveals

What a night it was! Five from Queensberry took on five from Matchroom in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. And at the end, Frank Warren and his boxers swept the floor with Eddie Hearn and his boys. However, perhaps the biggest fight in that entire card was between Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder. 

Coming off a defeat at the hands of Joseph Parker, both men had everything on the line, albeit Wilder had more to lose when compare to Zhang. Even so, ‘Big Bang’ Zhang emerged victorious after knocking out the hardest puncher in boxing in the fifth round. And now, things are looking up for the Chinese boxer, as Warren has shed light on what’s in the cards for Zhang in an interview with talkSport. Spoiler Alert: A fight in China. 

A Great homecoming is on the cards for Zhilei Zhang

Zhang’s career has seen a few ups and downs, sure. However, his loss to Joseph Parker earlier this year pushed him down the heavyweight rankings drastically. So, after he pulled off the final win for Warren last weekend, while speaking to talkSport, Warren revealed chances of a big fight in Zhang’s motherland—China!

“He’s up there—we’re looking to probably do a big fight in China. We’re talking at the moment, we’re about to start negotiations with the people who approached us and that would be a great homecoming for him,” Warren said. Speaking further about his newly acquired heavyweight giant, Warren said despite his weak English, Zhang had “really got into the groove with the team”.

Interestingly, Frank Warren seems to have been cooking up quite a fair bit of potential matchups if everything goes according to plan. He revealed that after Tyson Fury completes his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in December, a fight between Zhang and Fury might also be possible. While Zhang couldn’t have wished for a better outcome, what’s next for Deontay Wilder? 

Former undisputed heavyweight champion has some advice for Deontay Wilder

In the lead-up to the Zhang fight, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ had dropped hints at retirement from the sport if the fight didn’t go his way. And it’s safe to say—it didn’t. Despite his claim about tapping into his old self, Wilder seemed subdued and held back, as he didn’t let his hands fly. Owing to the same, after the fight, retirement seemed the wise decision. 

Even former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis feels the same way. In a post on X dated June 2, the boxing legend shared some advice for ‘The Bronze Bomber’, writing, “He’s more than carved out a life in which he can take care or his daughter, so before he suffers any more damage, it’s best to leave the game with [your] faculties intact”.

Well, Zhilei Zhang will fight in China, but who his opponent will be is currently unknown. Perhaps, Daniel Dubois, or even Anthony Joshua—Zhang will get to avenge his loss at the 2012 Olympics. Who would you like to see opposite Zhang? Let us know in the comments.