Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) is the favorite against the huge-punching two-time Olympian Zhilei Zhang, but there’s a very real possibility he could lose this fight.
When you’ve got the kind of punching power that Zhang possesses, anything is possible. It doesn’t matter how good of a chin Joyce has. If he gets hit in the right spot by Zhang, it’ll be all over for him.
Interestingly, the 37-year-old Joyce has been quiet about what his doomsday plans are if he loses to Zhang.
The Juggernaut is kind of old, and it’s not like he’s going to be able to quickly bounce back from this loss and be given a world title shot on a silver platter, as we’ve seen with Anthony Joshua. Sure, if Joyce was as popular as AJ, he could easily get a quick crack at a title, likely in his next fight, if he were to lose to Zhang on Saturday.
That’s the unfairness of boxing. Certain fighters don’t need to work their way into a title shot, and they can afford to lose repeatedly and still be given opportunities that other guys can’t get.
If Joyce gets beaten by Zhang, he’s got the following options:
- Retire
- Rematch Zhang
- Fight for trinket belt
- Rebuild
It’s taken Joyce six years just to get to this point of his career, and there’s still no title shot coming anytime soon, even if he wins. What’s particularly sad is a guy that he knocked out in 2020, Daniel Dubois, will be getting a title shot against IBF/WBA/WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk in the summer.
Joyce is going up against one of the biggest punchers in the heavyweight division in 6’6″, 270+ lb Zhang (24-1, 19 KOs), and we saw him put Filip Hrgovic down in a fight that he arguably won last August in Saudi Arabia.
How to watch Joyce vs. Zhang on Saturday?
Boxing cans watch this exciting fight between the unbeaten Joyce and two-time Olympian Zhang this Saturday, April 15th, on ESPN+ at 2:00 pm. ET. The fight event will also be shown live on BT Sport in the UK. Joyce-Zhang will take place at the Copper Box Arena in London, England.
“He’s got good power, a good chin, so it’s going to be a tough fight,” said Joyce to Secondsout about his fight against Zhang this Saturday night. “It’s one that I didn’t need to take. I haven’t fought a southpaw, and I wanted a top 15 fight. That’s part of the deal, so this is why I’m fighting him.
“It’s part and parcel of what we have to do as boxers, and we’re nearer to the fight. I’ve done quite a few face-offs. I’ve looked in his eyes, and I can see that he’s hungry and he wants it. It’s a great opportunity for him, so he’s going to come in all guns blazing and so am I, and we’re both going to crash in the middle.
“After I get the knockout and get the win, I can march onto my journey to then take in the other titles,” Joyce continued. “It’s something to get up for, and I also wanted to give value for money and entertainment.
“There’s all this bull s**t with the other title holders. I was hoping to see the undisputed fight, but at least I have a good fight to get up for in Zhilei Zhang. It’s risky, tough test, and it’s one that I feel I can get through, and hopefully, it’ll lead me to a big fight in the summer or the end of the year.
“I’d like to. I don’t plan to do twelve rounds, but I think Zhilei has a tough chin as well, so he may be tough to get out of there, but we’ll have to see on fight night. I’m aiming to knock him out or stop him and then the journey continues,” Joyce said when asked if he plans on trying to KO Zhang.
“Joe has got to be on his game on Saturday night. I do favor him to break Zhang down eventually. Joe is 37 now,” said Gareth A. Davies to Boxing Social.
He’s going to have to break him down late in the fight to get a stoppage. Zhang has traveled a long way to get over here, but what an opportunity because Joe’s stock is soaring basically and has been talked about in massive fights.
“The great thing about Joe is he never says no to anyway,” Davies said about Joyce. “He wants to fight anyone and no time to waste. Again, this has created a great spectacle.
“There’s no way that if Joe Joyce wins on Saturday night that he’s not going to fight until December.”
