Joe Joyce’s bid to avenge his defeat to Zhilei Zhang was crushed inside three rounds of their rematch as he was brutally KO’d in their WBO interim heavyweight title fight.
Five months on from being stopped in the sixth round of their first fight, history repeated itself as Joyce was brutally put down with a chaotic right hand. Former world boxing champion Richie Woodhall, speaking on TNT Sports, said: “It was an absolute peach of a punch. The technique was perfect and set up by the jab.”
Joyce was seen immediately leaving the arena after being floored, as his opponent soaked up the crowd’s admiration. The Chinese boxer retained the WBO interim title and his mandatory challenger status to Oleksandr Usyk with the win.
Zhang was delighted after his stunning win, insisting that he came to entertain. The boxer also paid tribute to all those watching on from home and in his homeland of China, before issuing a challenge to Tyson Fury.
“I’m happy. Like I said before the fight, it’s going to end sooner than the first one. Joe, I like him, I respect him and I will let everyone witness Chinese power again,” he told TNT Sports.
“This is what we’re here for, we’re professional fighters. We came to entertain the crowd and we did it. I hope everyone enjoyed my performance. Thank you to everyone who came here today and witnessed my greatness in front of Chinese social media.
“I want to ask the audience a question. Do you want to see me shut Tyson Fury up?”
