Zhilei Zhang vs Joe Joyce 2 – Who wins the rematch?
Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang (25-1-1, 20KO) surprised the world to defeat and dethrone unbeaten WBO Interim World heavyweight champion Joe Joyce (15-1, 14KO) in his own backyard last April. Now, just four months on, the Olympic silver medallists will meet again at Wembley Arena on September 23, live on TNT Sports.
Will it be repeat or revenge? BBN asked their panel of experts for thier views:
George Groves Former world champion
“I think Joyce can get revenge over Zhang, he was just painfully slow last time. He's never been the quickest fighter, I'm not sure what training he was doing for the first fight, but he was frighteningly slow and ridiculously easy to hit. Zhang is not bad, he's been around a long time and Hrgovic squeezed past him.
“He's a good fighter Zhang, but I think Joyce is a better fighter, he has a tenacious work rate and he's a big strong dude – he's the juggernaut. But he can’t be so slow this time – he's always going to eat punches – but if you're going to be that slow you're going to eat all of the punches and you don't need to be that dude. I'm not sure whether he thought he was invincible or that he couldn't be knocked out. But I think a sharper Joyce beats Zhang.
“But it's a fascinating one. Rematches are fascinating because you've had the drama of the first fight and now you've got to go back to the well and do the camp again for the same dude and you're wondering 'are they going to be the same again or different or better?'
“It's an interesting one, but I'm picking Joyce to get revenge over Zhang in this one. He's a better fighter and I think he will be better this time around.”
Derek ChisoraHeavyweight world title contender
“Joe Joyce can win this fight by training for 4, 5, 6 rounds coming in and blasting Zhang out, he’ll win the fight by knockout.
“If Joyce warms up with Zhang and Zhang finds that jab to his eyeball socket then he’s f—d basically, his eye hasn’t healed. He’s f—d.”
Mike TysonUndisputed world heavyweight champion
“I like Joe Joyce, I hope he wins, but I don't think he will.”
Tim RicksonBBN Editor
“Zhang was confident, composed, accurate, faster, and quicker out the traps than Joyce in the first fight. He dominated the first two rounds, and that was the writing on the wall as early as that. Wobbled in round two, Joyce just couldn't get out of the line of fire, despite making rounds three to five competitive, he was just two static and easy to hit, which is why that right eye closed up so badly, he was just taking way too much damage. He has become known for walking through shots, taking opponents' best hits and still keep on coming, but that invincibility has been shattered now.
“Zhang will return to the ring much the same, but I imagine he will be even more confident with one win over Joyce already, plus I expect him to use all the data he downloaded from fight one to his advantage. That backhand left couldn't miss and he will be looking for the same success with it.
“Joyce should return improved, but how much can this 37-year-old improve within those four months at this stage of his career? I think he will start faster this time, maybe try to overwhelm Zhang, he would do well to fight at mid to close range because I feel he would be a sitting duck at long range. But even when he was busier up close in rounds three onwards, he was still getting his head rocked back by the higher quality attacks from sharpshooter Zhang. He could set a higher pace, be faster, move his head more… but how will he learn to move his head at the age of 38 when he hasn't ever learnt this before? Zhang has been known to gas, so forcing him to work hard could take it out of the 40-year-old giant, but that will come with risks.
“In this rematch, I think Zhang will have to expect nnd endure a better performance from Joyce, who I can see starting fast and busy, but if he can get through the high pace and pressure early on then I think his big, accurate punches will gradually take their toll again to force another stoppage, but a few rounds later, from 7-12.”
Carl FramptonTwo-weight world champion
“I think he [Joyce] can redeem himself, if he makes a few small adjustments.
“It was stopped because of his eye, but Zhang was the one hitting the eye. I think, though, if the eye hadn’t closed, Joyce may have came into the fight more and more.
“I think Joyce can redeem himself. I think he can force a late stoppage against Zhang.”
Paulie Malignaggi Two-weight world champion
“I think Zhang wins again. Psychologically, Zhang, having knocked out Joyce and then Joyce choosing to go right back to a rematch instead of taking an in-between fight, is significant. When you’ve been knocked out so dominantly, I think an in-between fight is more smart. I don't know if he can make all the adjustments, physically and psychologically, all in one camp, so I think that those two things will factor in Zhang winning.
“You haven't even come back with a win before taking the rematch to get that mental edge back, so before that opening bell rings, you know this guy had his way with you the first time. There's that creeping doubt in you, that when the bell rings and you're standing right in front of them, you know the danger that he poses.
“I don't think the rematch will be any easier for Joyce because you've got to get over the psychological barrier of this guy who stopped you. Also I don’t know if Joyce knows how to fight southpaws all that well because he was getting hit cleanly way too much in the first fight, more so than we've seen before.
“It was not the fact he was getting hit often, but you just can't get hit clean the way he was getting hit, and the thing about Zhang is – he's got a very good right hook for a southpaw and that was also landing very well in the first fight, so Joyce needs to get his angles adjusted here. He needs to adjust his angles and feet much better in the second fight. There's a lot of adjustments to be made.
“Zhang completely befuddled Joyce from the southpaw angle, so I think Joyce has to master the range against the southpaw a little bit better – because the range changes against a southpaw – and then when he does that he's got to then get on his own attack. I think his offense becomes his best defense, which is why I think these guys make another fun fight.
“I think it's a good fight. Zhang is becoming sort of a must see TV great, he had a great fight with Hrgovic, but came up short in a fight that he could have won. And then he ends up beating Joyce and beating him up at that. Joyce was on a sort of a meteoric rise, having recently had that big stoppage win over Daniel Dubois, who was a hot shot himself. And Joyce had the momentum from the amateurs with his Olympic medal and he was being discussed as a possible opponent for Tyson Fury, so it was a big win for Zhang.”
Arijan GorickiIBO International featherweight contender
“My prediction is Joyce via UD.
“Hopefully he learned from his mistakes and will not underestimate Zhang. Joyce is an experienced boxer and if he sticks with game plan and is focused, then I don't see same result.”
Ben DayFormer Southern Area champion
“Just move your head coming forward and get your foot on the outside and counter the southpaw's left hand, throw a right hand to the body but above the belly button!”
Dan SmithBBN Writer
“All of Joyce’s previous opponents made it their aim to be the first man to deliver ‘The Juggernaut’ a kayo loss. However, all but Zhang had failed to beat big Joe, and heading into their fight earlier this year, Zhang and his team knew Joe could be hit at will. Thereafter, the plan was apparent: to hit and hurt Joyce, grabbing either a points win or a stoppage.
“In the rematch, I’m not sure what else Joe can bring other than his ability to absorb punishment and wage the odds that his opponent will wilt in the later rounds before falling under Joyce’s sturdy right hand. That said, it still remains an intriguing fight for the British heavyweight scene.”
Ben WinwardBBN Writer
“First of all you have to give Joe Joyce credit for taking the immediate rematch. An obvious conclusion here is that both he and his team are confident that the first fight was simply an off night, and that they can rectify the result in the return with a few simple adjustments. In my opinion however, Joe Joyce really didn’t have a choice but to take the immediate return. If he wants to crack back into the top 5 of the division, at the age of 37 there is no time to gradually rebuild. He has to find a way to overcome Zhile Zhang.
“There is no avoiding it, the first fight was a horrendous performance from Joyce. He was eating huge straight lefts for fun from the first bell and to be honest looked like a befuddled novice who was encountering a southpaw for the first time. I do however believe a fight with Joyce and Zhang would always follow a similar pattern, albeit not quite as the same one-sided pummelling it was, in that Zhang would start fast and lead at the halfway mark, before beginning to tire as he did vs Hrgovic. There were even small signs that this was how the fight was beginning to unfold during their first battle.
“I think Joe Joyce has however shown us enough to this point to attest that the performance back in April was just a bad, bad night. If Joyce can be far more evasive with his head movement in the early rounds, circle to the left to avoid Zhang’s danger shot and invest heavily in the body, I believe with his style he should be able to wear Zhang down and force a late stoppage. Joyce did however seem to wobble more than we have seen before in the first fight, which makes you worry if his defensively careless style is starting to take its toll on his punch resistance.
“To state the obvious, this is heavyweight boxing and in reality a knockout victory for either fighter wouldn’t be shocking. However all things considered I will stick with how I thought the first fight would play out. Another fast start by Zhang with Joyce gradually wearing him down and getting a late KO victory.”
Uros Djikanovic Boxing Manager & Advisor
“I expect Joyce to come back stronger in this fight. He was not so great in the first fight and he deservingly lost. I expected more from him in the first fight but after I saw what Zhang did to him I just can’t pick Joyce. I hope he shows more in the second fight but until I see differently I have to pick Zhang.
“Zhang really did something we all didn’t expect. We underestimated his boxing skill and power. He is a very big guy. On top of that he moves great for a southpaw that size and he has a great punching power in both hands. So I have to pick Zhang to win a rematch also.”
John J. Raspanti Lead writer – editor www.maxboxing.com
“Several months ago, underdog Liam Smith stopped Chris Eubank Jr. In Fight #2 it was Smith who was favored, but Eubank turned the tables and stopped “Beefy”.
“Earlier this year, Zhieli Zhang stopped big-time favorite Joe Joyce. Fight #2 happens in a few days…
“Zhang is favored for obvious reasons. His left hand couldn't miss.
“Can Joyce make the adjustment in the sequel? Yes, and no.
“I think he'll still get clocked, and duck a few. His eye is a concern, but I have a feeling he'll win.”
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