Zhilei Zhang Claimed a Sensational Knockout Victory against Joe Joyce in Round 3rd of their Rematch
- 7 months ago
The Putney Juggernaut ran headlong into China’s Zhilei Zhang and went crashing off the golden highway to world heavyweight championship glory.
Perhaps, sadly, for good and all.
This Saturday night’s short journey from Putney to Wembley ended with Joe Joyce a heap on the floor. Down in less than three rounds and out of the big-time reckoning.
Zhang unleashed another cluster of the left hooks that had broken Joyce’s face six months earlier.
And he followed that features-flushing bombardment with a right cross from hell this time.
Zhang’s real nickname is Big Bang; whether or not this was the biggest of his life, it was the most important.
He remains the WBO interim champion and is now confirmed at the age of 40 as the mandatory challenger for that belt whoever is wearing it once Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk do their business.
Joyce is looking at all his 38 years but is not likely to declare retirement immediately. But whether he will want to return in search of his dream more belatedly than he came to professional boxing must be open to doubt.
That delay in turning professional – in a vain search for Olympic gold – now looks like the greatest mistake of this decent man’s life.
Maybe the canvas for his future is the one on which he paints so artistically, not that from which he was unable to rise.
As if these two hunks were not beefy enough already both bulked up even more for their second bite at each other.
At a whopping career record 20st 1lb, Joyce was a hefty 25 lbs mightier than when he was stopped with a battered eye in April.
Zhang had weighed in even heavier at 287 lbs. Bombs away.
Presumably, our Joe was hoping to make himself even more resilient against the Chinaman’s thunderous blows.
China’s Zhilei gambling that the extra poundage would breach Joyce’s fabled chin of granite.
Certainly, at 38 and 40 respectively, neither could expect to be any faster than in their thump-thump first fight in April.
At ages when their world heavyweight title dreams have become more elusive and distant, each was putting all his eggs in one giant punch bag. May the biggest boomer win, baby.
Whenever they might choose to get around to it. Both were so wary of each other’s power that neither threw a punch of consequence in the first round. It was tempting to score it 9-9 but the rules insist on 110-110.
Zhang tired of that nonsense first and woke us all up with a left which sent Joyce staggering back. Zhang unleashed a two-fist onslaught at the end of the second.
Worse, much worse, was to come. As Joyce strove for a foothold in the third he walked into disaster.
Zhang softened him up with more of the lefts which had broken his six months earlier, then pitch-forked the Putney painter face first onto the canvas with a monstrous right.
Not even Joyce’s fabled chin could withstand that. He was somewhere between horizontal and the jack-knife position as the count reached what sounded for him like a Doomsday count of ten.
After the Bout, Zhang
Perhaps, sadly, for good and all.
This Saturday night’s short journey from Putney to Wembley ended with Joe Joyce a heap on the floor. Down in less than three rounds and out of the big-time reckoning.
Zhang unleashed another cluster of the left hooks that had broken Joyce’s face six months earlier.
And he followed that features-flushing bombardment with a right cross from hell this time.
Zhang’s real nickname is Big Bang; whether or not this was the biggest of his life, it was the most important.
He remains the WBO interim champion and is now confirmed at the age of 40 as the mandatory challenger for that belt whoever is wearing it once Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk do their business.
Joyce is looking at all his 38 years but is not likely to declare retirement immediately. But whether he will want to return in search of his dream more belatedly than he came to professional boxing must be open to doubt.
That delay in turning professional – in a vain search for Olympic gold – now looks like the greatest mistake of this decent man’s life.
Maybe the canvas for his future is the one on which he paints so artistically, not that from which he was unable to rise.
As if these two hunks were not beefy enough already both bulked up even more for their second bite at each other.
At a whopping career record 20st 1lb, Joyce was a hefty 25 lbs mightier than when he was stopped with a battered eye in April.
Zhang had weighed in even heavier at 287 lbs. Bombs away.
Presumably, our Joe was hoping to make himself even more resilient against the Chinaman’s thunderous blows.
China’s Zhilei gambling that the extra poundage would breach Joyce’s fabled chin of granite.
Certainly, at 38 and 40 respectively, neither could expect to be any faster than in their thump-thump first fight in April.
At ages when their world heavyweight title dreams have become more elusive and distant, each was putting all his eggs in one giant punch bag. May the biggest boomer win, baby.
Whenever they might choose to get around to it. Both were so wary of each other’s power that neither threw a punch of consequence in the first round. It was tempting to score it 9-9 but the rules insist on 110-110.
Zhang tired of that nonsense first and woke us all up with a left which sent Joyce staggering back. Zhang unleashed a two-fist onslaught at the end of the second.
Worse, much worse, was to come. As Joyce strove for a foothold in the third he walked into disaster.
Zhang softened him up with more of the lefts which had broken his six months earlier, then pitch-forked the Putney painter face first onto the canvas with a monstrous right.
Not even Joyce’s fabled chin could withstand that. He was somewhere between horizontal and the jack-knife position as the count reached what sounded for him like a Doomsday count of ten.
After the Bout, Zhang