What is Happening with Zhilei Zhang?

Just a couple of years ago, Zhilei Zhang was one of the most feared Heavyweights in the boxing landscape. Having demolished Joe Joyce and Deontay Wilder, not many fighters were queuing up to take on the ‘Big Bang’.

Now, however, Zhang hasn’t fought for well over a year. Furthermore, there doesn’t appear to be anything for him in the near future. Has he quietly retired? Nothing official has been confirmed, but at the age of 43, time is swiftly running out for the Chinese powerhouse.

In his last fight, Zhang was stopped within six rounds amid a beating from Agit Kabayel. Zhang did his best to make the fight competitive, enjoying some early success and knocking Kabayel down in round five, but he simply couldn’t match the German’s work rate. Eventually, he succumbed to a sickening, prolonged assault to the body.

On the defeat, Zhang said: “I held myself together with fists to the canvas, trying to get up. I felt the breathless agony. It was a breath-stolen moment. Although there were some regrets and disappointment after the fight, since I dropped him in the fifth and let that slide.

“He messed up my rhythm since the fourth. His body shots affected the way I breathed and my whole strategy went south. But I also gave him the first knockdown of his career. We had practiced again and again in camp how to deal with body shots, but his output was so high. It was a lot of punches.”

Requiring oxygen on his stool immediately after the bout, this was a damaging defeat for Zhang for a number of reasons. Now, he is firmly out of the world title picture and his chances are dwindling with each passing day. It begs the question – what is next for him?

Is Zhilei Zhang retired?

As of the time of writing, Zhang has not confirmed his official retirement. He was rumoured to be one of Dave Allen’s potential opponents for his Doncaster homecoming last month [via DAZN], but the ‘White Rhino’ would end up fighting Filip Hrgovic instead (to disastrous results).

Back in January, Zhang was linked with a fight against Daniel Dubois, according to Sky Sports. Nevertheless, this also failed to materialise.

A report from Seconds Out claimed that Zhang was keen to secure a bout before the end of 2025, following his defeat against Kabayel. However, as we know, this did not happen.

It might be a case of him now being a high-risk, low-reward fight for anyone. He still remains one of the hardest-hitting Heavyweights in the division, but coming off a fairly comprehensive loss, the boon one might receive from beating him is largely minimised.

He is still listed as an active fighter on Queensberry’s official website – as such, one can assume that he is still looking to make headways with his career.

Who could Zhilei Zhang fight next?

Right now, it is hard to say. Having spent so long out of the ring and being 43 years of age, Zhang will not be the same fighter he was a few years ago. His stamina was already notably lacking beforehand – with so much ring rust having accumulated, this glaring flaw in his game won’t have gotten any better.

However, it is also worth mentioning that Zhang has a very limited amount of time next. He needs a tune-up – but can he afford one? A fine balance must be struck with his next opponent.

Someone like Nelson Hysa could provide Zhang with the opposition that he needs. Like Zhang, he is also on the wrong side of 40 – additionally, his record is rather over-inflated. He might be undefeated, but none of his opponents were particularly formidable. He is certainly beatable for someone like the ‘Big Bang’.

Otto Wallin could also be a decent pick. The big Swede is, likewise, winding down, but casual audiences will remember him for the nightmare he gave Tyson Fury back in 2019. He has lost twice since then, to Anthony Joshua and Derek Chisora, but he has never been knocked out over the course of his 31-fight professional career.