Joyce-Zhang, Mayer-Linardatou and undercard bouts will stream live on ESPN+ beginning at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
ZHILEI ZHANG PROMISES that Joe Joyce will feel the Far East force when the pair collide at the Copper Box Arena on April 15. Big Juggernaut and Big Bang will trade bombs with Joyce’s WBO Interim world heavyweight title at stake, with the pair fighting for the right to challenge for the full world championship, currently held by unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Joyce is renowned for walking through heavy fire without flinching, as evidenced throughout his career and last year in fights against Christian Hammer and Joseph Parker.
Zhang, who fought a final eliminator for the IBF belt against Filip Hrgovic last year and rocked the fancied Croatian, warns that being prepared to take punishment would be a risky strategy against himself.
WHAT TIME IS THE JOYCE VS ZHANG FIGHT?
- Date: Saturday, April 15
- Main card: 7 p.m. BST / 2 p.m. ET
- BT Sport will broadcast the fight in the UK, while fans in the U.S. can stream the fight LIVE on ESPN+
- The fight will take place at the Copper Box Arena in London.
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 11 p.m. BST / 6 p.m. ET
- The main card is set to get underway at 7 p.m. BST / 2 p.m. ET with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 11 p.m. BST / 6 p.m. ET.
“Joe Joyce has good punch resistance but he has never felt Chinese power,” is the chilling warning coming from the 39-year-old who hails from Zhoukou in China.
Promoted by Queensberry Promotions, Joyce-Zhang will be broadcast live in the U.K. on BT Sport and streamed live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.
Also featuring at the Copper Box will be the return of Denzel Bentley with a defence of his British middleweight title against Scottish challenger Kieran Smith. Peacock Gym puncher Bentley is back fighting in London after his unsuccessful WBO world title tilt against Janibek Alimkhanuly in November.
Former unified super-featherweight belt-holder Mikaela Mayer, fighting in the U.K. for the second time in a row, will make her lightweight debut against former two-time super-lightweight world champion Christina ‘Medusa’ Linardatou.
Commonwealth super bantamweight champion Dennis McCann will make a first defence of the title he won via defeating Joe Ham last time out, with his Queensberry iBox Gym teammate Sam Noakes defending his WBC International Silver and Commonwealth lightweight titles.
McCann made it a title treble at The O2 in November, with the 22-year-old Menace having won the WBC International Silver featherweight championship and the WBO Youth super bantamweight title in his previous two fights, beating James Beech Jr and Charles Tondo respectively.
Former amateur star Eithan James, winner of five national titles, is on the card in an eight round super lightweight contest. While another super lightweight Sonny Liston Ali will fight in a six-rounder with Dagenham super welterweight Joel Kodua fighting over four.
Tickets for the showdown between Joe Joyce and Zhilei Zhang on Saturday, 15 April at the Copper Box Arena, London are on sale now from: ticketmaster.co.uk
Mikaela Mayer is fighting back in the U.K.
Former unified junior lightweight world champion Mikaela Mayer has a new opponent for her lightweight debut. Mayer will battle Swedish contender Lucy Wildheart in a 10-rounder for the WBC interim world title tomorrow at London’s Copper Box Arena after her original opponent, Christina Linardatou, was forced to withdraw after not meeting British Boxing Board of Control requirements.
Mayer-Wildheart will be the co-feature to the heavyweight main event between WBO interim champion Joe Joyce and Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang.
Promoted by Queensberry Promotions, Joyce-Zhang, Mayer-Wildheart and undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ beginning at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.
Wildheart (10-1, 4 KOs), a 30-year-old boxer-puncher, enters this late-notice assignment riding a five-bout winning streak since a 10-round decision defeat to French standout Estelle Mossely. In 2021, she knocked out former Mayer foe Edina Kiss in the third round. Wildheart went 2-0 in 2022, winning a pair of six-round decisions on British soil.
Joyce vs Zhang Tickets
TICKETS FOR THE Copper Box clash between heavyweight giants Joe Joyce and Zhilei Zhang on Saturday April 15 are on sale today available from ticketmaster.co.uk
The WBO Interim world heavyweight title – held by the unbeaten Briton – will be on the line when the pair collide, live on BT Sport, with the winner in line to take on the holder of the full title, which is currently Oleksandr Usyk.
“You can expect a lot of big bangs from myself and Zhilei!” predicted the Big Juggernaut. “It is going to be a great, great fight, you haven’t seen me against a tall southpaw yet and someone who can really hit and test my chin.
“You will see if I can knock him down and see how our styles gel. It will be explosive and I don’t think it is going the distance. I know what to do with southpaws, so it should be good.”
Also featuring at the Copper Box will be the return of Denzel Bentley with a defence of his British middleweight title against Scottish challenger Kieran Smith. Peacock Gym puncher Bentley is back fighting in London after his unsuccessful WBO world title tilt against Janibek Alimkhanuly in November.
Commonwealth super bantamweight champion Dennis McCann will make a first defence of the title he won via defeating Joe Ham last time out, with his Queensberry iBox Gym teammate Sam Noakes defending his WBC International Silver and Commonwealth lightweight titles.
Super lightweight Sonny Liston Ali will fight in a six-rounder with Dagenham super welterweight Joel Kodua fighting over four.
The fight will take place on Saturday, 15 April 2023, at the Copper Box Arena in London. The main event is scheduled to start at 10 p.m. local time (5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT). The fight will be broadcast live on ESPN+ in the U.S. and BT Sport in the U.K. Fans can also stream the fight online via the ESPN app or the BT Sport website or app.
Tickets for the showdown between Joyce and Zhang on 15 April at the Copper Box Arena on Saturday, 15 April are on sale now available from ticketmaster.co.uk.
JOYCE VS. ZHANG FIGHT CARD
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(ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT)
• Joe Joyce 256 lbs. vs. Zhilei Zhang 278 lbs
(Joyce’s WBO Interim Heavyweight Title — 12 Rounds)
• Mikaela Mayer 134.5 lbs vs. Lucy WIldheart 134.4 lbs
(Vacant WBC Interim Lightweight Title — 10 Rounds)
* Wildheart stepped in after Mayer’s original opponent, Christina Linardatou, was forced to withdraw after not meeting British Boxing Board of Control requirements
• Moses Itauma 247 lbs vs. Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko 241 lbs
(Heavyweight — 6 Rounds)
• Sam Noakes 134.5 lbs vs. Karthik Sathish Kumar 134 lbs
(Lightweight— 12 Rounds)