Zhilei Zhang won the WBO Interim Heavyweight Championship after defeating Joe Joyce

[ad_1]

Zhilei Zhang is the interim WBO heavyweight champion after his victory over Joe Joyce came by stoppage in the sixth round after Joyce’s eye was closed with swelling and would be a blow to the British’s hopes of fighting Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk.

Joe Joyce lost the Battle of the Giants and with it the interim WBO Championship and any hope of fighting for a world title in the near future.

Ironically, the British silver Olympian suffered his first professional defeat when the inevitable bruises came when two huge hitters collided and ended up cutting an eye shut in the sixth round.

Joyce took the loss like a man, just as he and Zhuli Zhang took the hammer penalty from the beginning to the desperate end.

It was fun to watch, but it was even more detrimental to Joyce’s chances of mixing it up with Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk before he turned 37.

To his massive credit, the juggernaut had no complaints with referee Howard Foster’s interference, on medical advice that he was half-blind.

Zhilei Zhang is the interim WBO World Heavyweight Champion after defeating Joe Joyce by stoppage in the sixth round after Joyce’s (right) eye closed with swelling.

Big Bang also congratulated the aptly named Zhang and added, “I should have done better.

“A round ahead on my card when I wave away in the night he must decide whether to risk invoking the rematch clause or look for an alternative way to get back.”

Both giants have sworn to take as many brain-to-chin-pushing bazookas as may be necessary to come close to securing a world title.

It’s not often that two of boxing’s biggest men bring both blunderbuss punching power and cement jaws into the same ring.

Joyce himself has wondered how long it would be wise to continue such a bombardment, but he is not about to seek refuge before realizing his ambition for life.

Zhang admitted his only realistic hope of reaching the boxer’s peak is to soak up the barrage he was expecting here in the rough and tumble conditions of Saturday night in East London in order to land a punch on Sunday.

So they came rumbling at each other like tanks on an ancient battlefield.

Joyce was the first to shiver, sending backwards hitting lefts and rights.

The worst was coming in the second round as Zhang sent him collapsing on the ropes and then had him grab onto China’s waist to avoid getting hit.

It would be a blow to the British boxer’s hopes of fighting Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk-Joyce who was initially allowed to continue after Joyce received medical attention in the sixth round but was permanently stopped shortly thereafter, the 37-year-old losing his still unbeaten professional record. Winning his first 15 matches

Blood was pouring from Joyce’s face as he walked out for the third. Fortunately, the cut below the right eye and divination brought his superior boxing skills to take the round.

He then moved to the Fatigue Fourth Edge even though his face was turning hideous.

That eye was bulging and closing with each Southern Zhang left. Referee Foster called for a medical early in the sixth, but allowed him to continue and tried to end the bout quickly. Without avail.

The crowd booed the halt but it did not prolong the fight.

“I was just disappointed with my performance,” said Joyce. “The right hand he kept hitting me with couldn’t get out of that way so respect Chang, Big Bang.

‘It was a good fight. I think I could have done better. I haven’t fought a southern claw for a long time and I prefer him because he’s such a good fighter.

‘I gave him my all.’ I think I can do better, but it’s just so disappointing. I expected to win like I usually do.

It’s an awkward style because he’s a Southern pawn and a tough one at that. I could not escape, I kept getting hit by his left hand.

‘I am disappointed. I would like to apologize to all of my fans and supporters. I will come back later. My journey is not over yet. This is just a hurdle I stumbled upon. I’ll be back later.’

[ad_2]