On Saturday, Zhilei Zhang defeated Joe Joyce in the heavyweight division, handing the Briton his second straight defeat.
Zhang, 40, completely outclassed Joyce in April, causing the 38-year-old’s eye to become closed and ending the fight in the sixth round. Zhang repeated the feat performed at Wembley Arena in just three rounds when the two of them arrived back in London on Saturday.
During the first three contests, Joyce presented a timid demeanor, unwilling to participate and concerned by Zhang’s performance. Then, in the closing moments of Rounds 3, Zhang successfully executed a left cross and unleashed a powerful right hook that severely injured Joyce.
As a result, Zhang kept the WBO interim championship he had seized from Joyce in April. This suggests that “Big Bang” may now face Oleksandr Usyk, the current champion.
The initial rematch was risky, maybe unneeded, and ended with the stunning conclusion since Zhang had previously closed Joyce’s right pupil and halted him in round six. In the first battle, Joyce was clearly the favorite. Joyce may be experiencing a real dilemma in his brief career at the age of 38 and just having fought 17 times.
He exhibited hesitation and reluctance in the Wimbledon ring and appeared to sway with each blow that Zhang connected with. The dubious boxing talent that made Joyce famed for his capacity to take penalty and not flinch has vanished.
In April, Joyce made the error of relying on his reputed iron chin, allowing Zhang to assert control and end the battle. In the subsequent match, Joyce had lost all confidence in his chin, and Zhang was contemptuous before concussive blows were delivered. With only one punch, Joyce was knocked to the ground and fell in a heap. When he stood up again, the count was already over. Now that his career is in disarray.
Joyce discussed continuing his career in the ensuing silence and astonishment, but he might require security from his own goals given how slow, unsure, and demon-like he appeared to be fighting. A second defeat was not out of the question, but a one-punch knockdown was not in the cards.
The unpalatable fact is that Zhang, who won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics, is 40 years old and has never appeared to be as dangerous as he has in the two fights with Joyce. There aren’t many good names in Zhang’s history, and his current record of 26 victories in 28 matches suggests that Joyce has managed to change that. In his victory statement, Zhang sought a match against WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. It is real, and if Joyce had abandoned Zhang in a heap, that he would have shouted out Fury so it might have been made.
Zhang had a fairly easy road to the Wembley Stadium rematch, while Joyce has faced tough competition since their first bout in 2017.
Joyce lost the gold medal match at the 2016 Rio Olympics due to a poor call. He quickly became a force to be reckoned with in the professional ring, defeating unbeaten fighters, challengers for the world title, and past world champions. Even when he was trapped, he always managed to make it to his opponents. Before the first fight with Zhang, he had a record of 15 victories and 14 knockouts. He was a top ten middleweight contender and was stayed away from. Right up until he stepped into the ring to face Zhang, his career was fantastic.
Joyce approached cautiously in the initial round of the brief fight, Zhang followed, and the pair’s combined weight of more than 40 stone caused the old ring to tremble.