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dave allen Has set his sights on a potential clash with a heavyweight contender xilei zhang Next year.
Allen fell short in his homecoming fight earlier this month when he was defeated by Arslanbek Makhmudov in front of 9,000 fans in Sheffield.
But their promoters, eddie hernWants him to return to Sheffield Arena in 2026 to take on a bigger name after a tune-up fight in January.
Allen wants to test himself against the best and has named Zhang, who scored a knockout deontay wilder After sharing the first ring last year joseph parkerAs his ideal rival.
“What about Zhili Zhang?” Allen asked during a joint interview with Hearn on IFL TV. “If I could choose anyone, I would choose Zilei Zhang. I would choose him.”
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Hearn was initially surprised by Allen’s suggestion but soon warmed to the idea.
“You know what, you have a pretty good chance against Zhang,” Hearn responded. “Do you know why? Because you have a great chin.”
“We collectively thought Makhmudov would fade. But Zhang would fade a million percent.”
Allen replied: “Let’s catch Zhang then. Sort of.”
Hearn was fully on board, and said: “It’s going to be huge. I’m all for it.”
Zhang has lost only three of his 31 professional fights, but two of those losses have come in his last three bouts.
Despite defeating the New Zealander twice, he was defeated on points by Parker in March 2024.
The Chinese star returned three months later to stop Wilder in five rounds, but was then knocked out by Agit Kabayel himself in February 2025.
Zhang hasn’t fought since and now he’s 42, Allen and Hearn are confident they can find him at the right time.
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However, Zhang has 22 knockouts to his name and will be considered the favorite to defeat Allen after consistent performances on the world stage in recent years.
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