Zhilei Zhang successfully knockout Joe Joyce in the rematch

• Boxing

The heavyweight rematch between Zhilei Zhang and Joe Joyce ended sooner than most expected; Zhilei Zhang was dominating the match since the very first round; after pressurizing Joyce, he landed a massive shot in round 3 that put down Joe Joyce, and that was it!

Joe Joyce wasn’t stable enough to stand up, due to which the referee stopped the match there and there. You can watch the entire match highlights below: Zhilei Zhang successfully defended his WBO interim heavyweight belt and updated his professional boxing record to 26-1-1.

Joe Joyce was really looking forward to getting revenge in the rematch; perhaps his desire shall remain to be just a desire. For some reason, Joyce looked zoned out, and that sense of hunger to claim a victory was absent; he has a lot of reflection to do.

He may take a long break before making a comeback. Joe Joyce now has a professional record of 15-2; this is not the end of Joe Joyce; he has a lot of potential. A comeback is always greater than a setback. A few wins from here could get him back to the top.

Zhilei Zhang’s interview

Zhilei Zhang is pleased with a comprehensive win against Joe Joyce and asks the crowd an important question. “I feel very happy,” Zhang said, as quoted by boxingjunkie.usatoday.com.

“Like I said before the fight, it’s gonna end sooner than the first fight. I did it! I want to ask the audience, I want to ask a question: Do you want to see me shut up [WBC beltholder] Tyson Fury?”. Zhilei Zhang wants to fight Tyson Fury next, and it will be very interesting to see Fury entertain that fight after competing against Francis Ngannou. Zhilei Zhang is an explosive striker; one punch is enough for him to wish his opponents ‘night night’.