Joe Joyce will get his shot at revenge when he rematches conqueror Zhilei Zhang on 23rd September. Wembley’s OVO Arena will host the two big-hitters as they contest the interim WBO heavyweight bauble that Zhang won in their first meeting. That April bout ended via a sixth-round stoppage due to grotesque swelling on Joyce’s eye.
That’s not to say this was a false result based purely on injury. Joyce’s eye was in such a frightening state due to the sustained pounding Zhang had wrought upon it. ‘Big Bang’ had already rocked the previously-unbeaten Brit several times over the course of the contest. Even without his eye giving out, it is hard to see how ‘Juggernaut’ would have turned the tide.
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This is the puzzle Joyce must solve in the rematch. The 37-year-old hasn’t met a punch he can’t walk through, but no previous opponent managed to land with as much frequency as Zhang did. The 6’6 Chinese star matched Joyce for size and out-hustled him in terms of activity. Joyce is used to overwhelming opponents, happily watching punches bounce off his bonce before lowering the boom. But there were no signs of that boom being lowered when Zhang dismantled him at the Copper Box.
A rematch actually reflects a little unfairly on Zhang. The Sportsman recently went in-depth on why rematch clauses are hurting boxing. This second bout feels like a perfect example. The first fight was one-sided with no dispute over the victor. The rematch is taking place largely because the home fighter lost and was being carefully built towards a title shot. Given the fact Joyce was the WBO mandatory and Zhang now holds their interim belt, ‘Big Bang’ should rightfully be preparing to face champion Oleksandr Usyk right now. But rematch clauses are a way for promoters to keep things on the rails. As with the cited Dillian Whyte vs Anthony Joshua example, essentially an underdog has to win twice to progress his career.
Often, an immediate rematch is not the best move for the loser anyway. Take the example of David Price. He was shockingly stopped by American former title challenger Tony Thompson in February 2013. Rather than taking time to adjust to his first defeat and find what went wrong, Price was thrown straight back in with Thompson that July. Price suffered a second consecutive knockout defeat and his world title ambitions never recovered.
Joyce can’t afford that sort of outcome. At the age of 37, the window of opportunity is closing on securing a world championship fight. One fight can make a difference to a career, as ‘Juggernaut’ has already found out. Once seen as the only man who could break the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk heavyweight duopoly, now his ceiling has been set far lower.
Joyce didn’t become a bad fighter overnight. His record includes high-level wins and impressive performances against current and former belt-holders Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker and Bermane Stiverne. He retains his impressive power and an admirable chin. But some fighters just have that one foe they can’t seem to crack. Joyce’s performance against Zhang suggests the Chinese fighter might be his.
Joyce will need the performance of his life to come through unscathed in this make-or-break return fight. Zhang isn’t getting any younger at 40, but as a fighter who never relied on speed this won’t be an issue. Joyce certainly won’t do much to out-speed him in any case. This is likely to be a true heavyweight war of attrition. Great news for the fans, but it remains to be seen how well this bodes for Joe Joyce.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
