Joe Joyce Invokes Rematch Clause to Reclaim Interim Belt from Zhilei Zhang!
When heavyweight fighter Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce (15-1, 14 KO’s) last stepped in the ring, he suffered his first professional defeat. This came at the hands of Interim WBO heavyweight champion Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KO’s) by way of sixth round technical stoppage. Unable to get out of the way of the southpaw Chinese bruiser’s thudding left hand, Joyce’s right eye swelled to the point of closing. Fearing for his overall health, the bout was called off. Now, Joyce has announced that he wants a second crack at Zhang.
JUST A COUPLE HURDLES
It’s rather unsurprising to hear that Juggernaut wants to collide with Zhang again. Of course, there is the matter of his pride and desire to set the record straight. Beyond that however, Joyce, 37, wants to reclaim the Interim WBO heavyweight title that he won over Joseph Parker. When armed with the belt, he was in perfect position to press for a fight with unified heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk. Now strong-armed for the strap, Joyce finds himself back in the rat race struggling to obtain a title shot.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who co-promotes WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, indicated that Zhang was potentially lining up to face Fury this summer. Therefore, we will have to see if the rematch clause trumps this upcoming bout or if Joyce accepts step-aside money. Provided that nothing prevents the rematch, it will be interesting to see if Joyce can add a few new wrinkles to his game.
There is no question that Juggernaut is well known for his castiron chin. At the same time though, Joyce is far from the hardest person to hit. So it will be revealing to see if Joyce can either improve his defense or in some other way negate Zhang’s troublesome left hand. If he is unable to, it’s hard to see him changing the narrative or outcome. Yet, that’s exactly why they fight the fights! Thankfully, no matter how this situation resolves itself, 3Kings Boxing will be here to spread the news!
