'Chin is a question mark' – Zhilei Zhang delivers bold Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois prediction

03/09/2024 18:01

Zhilei Zhang is anticipating a massive upset when Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois collide this summer.

The heavyweight titans are set to square off on September 21 at Wembley Stadium for the IBF belt.

Oleksandr Usyk was previously in possession of the world title, however, he was forced to vacate it in order to pursue his contracted rematch with Tyson Fury on December 21.

As a result, Daniel Dubois was elevated to full world champion after picking up the IBF ‘interim’ trinket in June by scoring an eighth round stoppage win over Filip Hrgovic.

‘Triple D’ opens up as a 3/1 underdog with the bookies for his first world title defence, but heavyweight contender Zhang thinks Dubois has what it takes to overcome the odds and ‘shock the world’.

Speaking to BoxNation, he said: “I personally favour Daniel Dubois to pull this off because he is on the surge.

“He is hungry, he is young and he has the fire in him. He had a beautiful knockout victory over Filip Hrgovic last time so I really have my faith in the underdog.

“We are literally three weeks away and I believe he will shock the world.”

Asked if he thinks Dubois can get it done via knockout, Zhang replied: “Maybe.

“I look forward to that fight and it may end with a knockout.

“Joshua’s chin is always a question mark in my humble opinion. We will see what happens.”

While Joshua and Dubois duke it out in London, Zhang is pursuing a rematch with Joseph Parker.

The Chinese powerhouse was defeated by Parker via majority decision in March but recently activated the rematch clause in their contract after bouncing back with a devastating knockout victory over Deontay Wilder three months ago.

Zhang added: “He [Parker] was always the one on top of my hitlist.

“We have a contract, I’m honouring the contract. It is my contractual right to have a rematch and this what I am hoping for.”

Zhang decked Parker twice in rounds three and eight but seemingly lacked the energy to finish his adversary when he had him hurt.

When they run it back, ‘Big Bang’ promises not to let the opportunity slip between his fingers again.

“That is what I am aiming for [to get the knockout]. After the first fight people have different opinions.

“Some people think I won, others think he won. But I learnt a lot from that fight and I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.”