"It'd be lights out, no doubt about that" - Frank Warren says Anthony Joshua vs. Zhilei Zhang will be a risk worth taking for AJ
English boxing promoter Frank Warren has weighed in on a potential fight between Anthony Joshua vs. Zhilei Zhang.
Zhang recently locked horns against Warren's client Joe Joyce on September 23 at the OVO Arena Wembley in London, England. The fight was a rematch as they previously fought in April 2023 and 'Big Bang' emerged victorious in that fight via a sixth-round TKO.
The second fight unfolded in a similar manner as Zhang proceeded to knock Joyce out in the third round this time.
The British promoter praised 'Big Bang's ability to absorb shots and suggested that the 40-year-old could possibly knock out Joshua in a fight.
In a recent interview with TalkSport, Frank Warren previewed the potential heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Zhilei Zhang and made a prediction for the fight. He said:
"He's [Zhilei Zhang] got a good chin, he's taken a couple of good shots in fights, but more importantly he can bang. And I know that if he catches Joshua with one of them it will be lights out, there's no doubt about that."
"He's in the top four heavyweights in the world" - Frank Warren on Zhilei Zhang
In the same interview, Warren spoke about Zhang's future in the sport. According to the 71-year-old, a fight between 'Big Bang' and Anthony Joshua would be the obvious way to go. However, the boxing promoter is doubtful whether 'AJ's team would accept the fight or not. Warren added:
"Zhang has announced his arrival on the world stage, he's in the top four heavyweights in the world, that was a magnificent knockout, he boxed extremely well the fight before against a very tough and able and unbeaten opponent in Joe Joyce, so he's there now and he's got a seat at the table. Him against Joshua is a no-brainer, but I don't think they'll risk the fight against Zhang."
Warren has also gone on record to share that Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury could also serve as possible future opponents for Zhang.
Joshua has only lost one professional fight via knockout in his career. In June 2019, 'AJ' faced Andy Ruiz Jr. and suffered the first defeat of his boxing career by 'Destroyer' in the seventh round of the fight.