Zhilei Zhang Crushes Joyce; Anthony Yarde Quickly Stops Silva!
WBO Interim heavyweight champion Zhilei Zhang (26-1-1, 21KO) proved the first victory wasn’t a fluke by knocking out “Juggernaut” Joe Joyce (15-2, 14KO) in spectacular fashion.
Zhang entered the ring extremely confident and picked up where he left off in their first encounter. After realizing Joyce was looking to box more this time, he adjusted by closing the gap with combination punches.
He threw different variations of the left hand that kept Joyce off balance. In round three, Zhang cracked the granite chin of the British fighter with a straight left hand followed by a right hook that sent Joyce crumbling to the canvas in slow motion.
The referee waved off the fight regardless of Juggernaut getting up off the canvas. This undoubtedly is a major setback for the 38-year-old Brit, who is faced with deciding if he should retire.
Zhang took advantage of the situation in the post-fight interview by quickly turning his attention toward WBC champion Tyson Fury.
ANTHONY YARDE MAKES QUICK WORK OF JORGE SILVA
Two-time title contender Anthony Yarde (24-3, 23KO) made easy work of Jorge Silva (22-9, 12KO) in a comeback fight within two quick rounds.
This fight went exactly the way everyone knew it would go. After cruising in the first round, Yarde went into beast mode and landed a series of unanswered shots before landing an overhand right that dropped Silva. Despite getting up off the canvas, Silva’s night was over after the referee decided he had seen enough and called off the fight.
It was a decent win, but Yarde needs to prove he can win on a higher level. He is far away from being ready to return to championship contention. A good domestic-level fight that would spark interest from British fans is taking on the winner of Dan Azeez vs Joshua. Buatsi, which is set to take place on October 21.
