Notebook: Joyce, awaiting title shot, tangles with Zhang
New foe for Mayer; Jake Paul-Nate Diaz set; Showtime adds 140 title eliminator; Mati, Kownacki added to Berlanga card; BetUS show; Quick hits; Show and tell
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Heavyweight Joe Joyce believes he should be in major fights, be it against WBC/lineal champion Tyson Fury, unified titleholder Oleksandr Usyk or former unified titlist Anthony Joshua.
But those fights are not readily available to the WBO interim titleholder, so Joyce, who is one of Usyk’s mandatory challengers, plans to keep winning in the meantime until he can get one of the big-time bouts.
That means his first interim title defense will come against southpaw Zhang Zhilei in the main event of a Queensberry Promotions card on Saturday (ESPN+ in U.S., BT Sport in U.K., 3 p.m. ET) at the Copper Box Arena in London.
“I’m a tough man. I started rugby a long time ago. I’ve tried a lot of sports and I’ve finally found my sport in boxing,” Joyce said this week. “And it’s a whole package, all the ingredients that go into making a great champion. That’s what I want to be. And I’m getting close. I have the WBO interim title, but I don’t know how close I am to the world title.
“All the others seem to be running scared or doing their own thing. I want the fights to happen. I get how things work with the governing bodies. And I can only just fight who is put in front of me. So, why not fight a good fight and give everyone an entertaining fight against Zhang?”
England’s Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs), 37, the 2016 Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist, scored his first big professional win in 2020 by 10th-round knockout of unbeaten favorite Daniel Dubois. In his most recent fight, Joyce claimed the vacant interim belt in via 11th-round knockout of former world titlist Joseph Parker in an all-action battle.
Joyce is 6-foot-6, 256 pounds and the fight with the 6-6, 278-pound Zhang will be a rare occasion where he faces somebody as tall as he is and somebody even heavier.
“I respect Zhang’s power, and I won’t be going in there recklessly,” Joyce said. “He’s a southpaw, too. That’s more of a tricky style than what I’m used to. The last southpaw I fought was Lenroy Thomas in my fourth fight, which was for the Commonwealth title. I’ve only had 15 fights with 14 knockouts. I’m in for some proper fights.”
China’s Zhang (24-1-1, 19 KOs), 39, was the 2008 Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist. In the 2012 Olympics, Joshua eliminated him on the way to the gold medal.
Zhang turned pro in 2014 and it took years for him to face a legitimate opponent. When he finally the results were mixed. He fought to a draw with then-fringe contender Jerry Forrest in 2021 despite dropping Forrest three times, and in his last fight in August he lost a disputed decision to unbeaten Filip Hrgovic in an IBF title eliminator.
“We accepted this fight with no questions,” Zhang said. “For me, I’m here for a reason. I’m here to become the strongest and the best. And I know that in order to be the best, you have to beat the best. The translation of (Joyce’s nickname) ‘The Juggernaut’ in Chinese is ‘Red Tank.’ That’s what people call him. He has a tough chin. He has great stamina. But I’m the ‘Big Bang.’
“From the first round of their fight, Joseph Parker fought scared. He fought going backwards and running around the ring. So, when it comes to direct body contact, there hasn’t been anyone who has hit Joe Joyce with solid punches. But, I will land my shots.”
New opponent for Mayer
Former unified women’s junior lightweight titlist Mikaela Mayer will fight a new opponent in Lucy Wildheart for the vacant WBC interim lightweight title in the co-feature on the Joe Joyce- Zhang Zhilei card Saturday at the Copper Box Arena in London.
The new fight was announced on Friday after Mayer’s original opponent, former junior welterweight titlist Christina Linardatou, was denied a license earlier in the day by the British Boxing Board of Control.
Sources told Fight Freaks Unite that Linardatou was not licensed due having an artificial lens implanted in her eye due to a cataract surgery many years ago. She has fought with the lens throughout her career, including under the regulation of the BBBofC when he lost her junior welterweight belt by decision to Katie Taylor in Manchester, England.
Although Linardatou had not been officially ruled out of the bout, Top Rank, Mayer’s promoter, knew there was some sort of issue with her medical and secured Wildheart to be on standby a few days ago, a source told FFU. Once Linardatou was officially denied a license, Wildheart passed her medicals and was licensed.
The bout will be the first for Mayer (17-1, 5 KOs), 32, of Los Angeles, since losing her two 130-pound world titles by split decision to Alycia Baumgardner in their three-belt unification fight Oct. 15 at The O2 in London. Unable to secure an immediate rematch, she decided to move up to lightweight to face Linardatou (14-2, 6 KOs), 34, of Greece. Linardatou is the only woman to defeat Baumgardner, doing so by eight-round split decision in July 2018.
Mayer said she was happy to return to England despite losing there last time out.
“I like fighting in the U.K. I like the fans here,” Mayer said this week, before the opponent change. “The energy they bring to the arena is always great. They’re a lot of fun. I feel like I did a lot of work in my last outing here in terms of media. It was a huge fight and the Queen had passed, so we had to come out several times to promote the fight. And I just wanted to continue that moment and come out here and put on a great performance in front of some great fans. I am coming off a loss. Yet I feel like I’m the greatest I’ve ever been.”
Wildheart (10-1, 4 KOs), 30, a Sweden native fighting out of England, has won five fights in a row since a 10-round decision loss to Estelle Mossely, who won a 2016 Olympic gold medal for France.
Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz set
Jake Paul, the popular social media influencer turned cruiserweight boxer, will face longtime UFC star Nate Diaz on Aug. 5 (DAZN PPV) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, they announced this week.
Paul (6-1, 4 KOs), 26, of Cleveland, will return to the ring for the first time since suffering his first defeat by eight-round split decision to Tommy Fury in February in Saudi Arabia. It was Paul’s first fight against a full-time boxer.
Now Paul will again face an MMA fighter coming over to boxing as he has done for four of his previous bouts. Diaz will make his professional boxing debut in the eight-rounder contracted at 185 pounds.
“My last fight didn’t end the way I wanted, but the result was the best thing that could have happened to my professional boxing aspirations,” Paul said. “Now, the world thinks I am vulnerable when all I am is more focused than ever. My team wanted me to take an easy fight like KSI next, but that’s not how I am built. Nate Diaz is considered one of the most bad-ass fighters of all time, but he and his team have been running their mouths for too long.
“People tell me Nate has been training with (Hall of Fame former super middleweight and light heavyweight champion) Andre Ward for years. That he has insane stamina. That he refuses to back down. Good for fucking Nate. I haven’t forgotten about the slap backstage in Arizona, and on August 5th a ‘Problem Child’ is going to piece up and knock out the ‘Stockton G.’”
Diaz, 37, of Stockton, California, who participated in some of the biggest UFC pay-per-views in company history but recently parted ways with UFC, and Paul have traded insults over social media for more than a year, fueling anticipation for an eventual fight.
“Besides Canelo (Alvarez), he’s the biggest thang in boxing,” Diaz said. “I’m here to conquer that. I’m the king of combat sports and then I’m headed back to get my UFC belts. I fucked up Conor (McGregor) for acting out and now here I am again.”
Akhmedov-Sims eliminator
Batyr Akhmedov and Kenneth Sims Jr. will meet in a WBA junior welterweight titled eliminator in the opening bout of a PBC tripleheader on May 13 (Showtime) at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
The bout takes the place of the previously announced 10-rounder between junior welterweights Gary Antuanne Russell and Kent Cruz. According to Showtime, the fight is off due to a Russell hand injury.
Alberto Puello (21-0, 10 KOs), 28, a southpaw from the Dominican Republic, will make his first WBA junior welterweight title defense against Rolando Romero (14-1, 12 KOs), 27, of Las Vegas, who is moving up in weight, in the previously announced main event.
Former junior lightweight and lightweight titlist Rances Barthelemy (29-2-1, 15 KOs), 37, a Cuban defector based in Las Vegas, will square off with Omar Juarez (14-1, 5 KOs), 23, of Brownsville, Texas, in a bout that will now be the co-feature instead of the televised opener.
In his last fight, Akhmedov (9-2, 8 KOs), 32, an Uzbekistan native fighting out of Los Angeles, lost a split decision to Puello for the vacant WBA title in August, also on Showtime.
“My goal has always been to win a world championship and I have faith in myself,” Akhmedov said. “The fans know that I’m always in exciting fights, and this matchup is going to be more of the same.”
Sims (19-2-1, 7 KOs), 29, of Chicago, has won six fights in a row since an upset eight-round decision to Samuel Teah in 2018.
“I’m really excited about this fight,” Sims said. “This is what I’ve been asking for and will bring the best out in me. I believe that Akhmedov won his last fight and should be champion right now. This is not gonna be an easy task, but I will prove that I belong with the big names in the 140-pound division.”
Mati, Kownacki on Berlanga card
Welterweight up-and-comer Reshat Mati and heavyweight Adam Kownacki will both see action in 10-rounders on June 24 (DAZN) at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, on the Edgar Berlanga-Jason Quigley undercard, Matchroom Boxing announced on Friday.
Mati (13-0, 7 KOs), 24, of Staten Island, who has been out since October as he has battled injuries, will face Wesley Ferrer (17-1-1, 8 KOs), 31, of Brooklyn.
“I will have huge support from my Albanian fan base on June 24 and I’ll definitely look to make a statement that night in the 140-pound division,” Mati said.
Ferrer has won five fights in a row and will be in his first scheduled 10-rounder.
Kownacki (20-3, 15 KOs), 34, the popular Polish big man from Brooklyn, will face Joe Cusumano (21-4, 19 KOs), 33, of Danville, Virginia, who has won two in a row since a first-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in August 2021.
Kownacki once appeared on his way to a title shot before losing his past three fights, back-to-back upset knockouts to Robert Helenius and, most recently, a unanimous decision to Ali Eren Demirezen last July.
“I am excited to be back at Madison Square Garden,” Kownacki said. “MSG is where I had my first success as a boxer winning the N.Y. Golden Gloves, and my fifth pro fight where I came out victorious and started my run to become a top-five Heavyweight. MSG is will once again be the starting point of something special for me as I resurrect my career.”
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked the Joe Joyce-Zhang Zhilei WBO interim heavyweight title bout and we took a look at middleweight Denzel Bentley’s bout against Kieran Smith on the undercard. The Mikaela Mayer opponent change being finalized while we were so we did not pick that fight because it was unclear if it would take place. We also looked ahead to next week’s Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia pay-per-view fight and took viewer questions and comments! Please check out the show here:
Quick hits
Weights from London for Saturday’s Queensberry Promotions card: Joe Joyce 256 pounds, Zhilei Zhang 278 (for Joyce's WBO interim heavyweight title); Mikaela Mayer 134.5, Lucy Wildheart 134.4 (for vacant WBC women’s interim lightweight title); Moses Itauma 247, Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko 241; Sam Noakes 134.5, Karthik Sathish Kumar 134.
A change of plans for WBA “regular” super middleweight titlist David Morrell was announced Friday. Morrell was due to face Sena Agbeko in the co-feature of the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia Showtime PPV card on April 22 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, Morrell (8-0, 7 KOs), 25, a Cuban southpaw based in Minneapolis, will instead make defense No. 5 against southpaw Yamaguchi Falcao (24-1-1, 10 KOs), a 2012 Brazilian Olympic bronze medalist. Sena was forced out of the fight after the Nevada State Athletic Commission declined to license him. The reason was not disclosed.
Julio Cesar Martinez (19-2, 14 KOs), 28, of Mexico, will defend the WBC flyweight title for the sixth time when he faces Ronal Batista (15-2, 9 KOs), 26, of Panama, who is moving down in weight for the opportunity, in the co-feature of undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez’s defense against WBO interim titlist and mandatory challenger John Ryder on May 6 (DAZN PPV) at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. A Martinez win could position him for a unification fight with Sunny Edwards or Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, when he returns near the end of the year after recovering from a broken jaw.
Junior welterweight contender Jack Catterall (26-1, 13 KOs), 29, a southpaw from England, who signed with Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn last month and will fight in the co-feature of the rematch between WBA featherweight titlist Mauricio Lara and Leigh Wood, has an opponent for the bout May 27 (DAZN) at AO Arena in Manchester, England. Hearn announced Catterall will face Irishman Darragh Foley (22-4-1, 10 KOs), 34, a southpaw, who has won five fights in a row, most recently via third-round knockout of Robbie Davies Jr. on March 11. The fight will be Catterall’s first since a hugely controversial decision loss challenging Josh Taylor for the undisputed title in February 2022. A rematch was postponed several times and then canceled altogether earlier this year.
DAZN continues to be open to putting on more American-based boxing events than just from partners Matchroom Boxing and Golden Boy. Its latest acquisition is a Boxing Insider/DiBella Entertainment “Broadway Boxing” card on April 27 at Sony Hall in New York’s Times Square. In the main event, Brooklyn junior middleweight Brian Ceballo (13-1, 7 KOs), 29, a five-time N.Y. Golden Gloves champion, will face Edward Ulloa Diaz (13-5, 10 KOs), 32, of the Dominican Republic, in an eight-rounder.
Showtime announced it will stream two 10-rounders on April 22 (6:30 p.m. ET) from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on the Showtime Sports YouTube channel and Showtime Boxing Facebook page before the start of the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia Showtime PPV card at 8 p.m. ET. Middleweight Fiodor Czerkaszyn (21-0, 13 KOs), 27, of Poland, will face Elias Espadas (22-5, 15 KOs), 32, of Mexico, and junior middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr. (14-1, 9 KOs), 20, of Roseland, New Jersey, will fight Jose Charles (20-3-1, 12 KOs), 29, of Mexico.
Former welterweight titlist Luis Collazo (39-8, 20 KOs), 41, a southpaw from Brooklyn, New York, and now fighting out of Riverview, Florida, will end a 20-month layoff and face Angel Ruiz (17-2-1, 12 KOs), 25, a Mexico native based in Los Angeles, in a 10-round junior middleweight bout that headlines the ProBox TV card on Wednesday in Plant City, Florida. Collazo, who has faced a who’s who, including Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton, Amir Khan, Keith Thurman and Andre Berto, has not fought since a fourth-round no contest against Eimantas Stanionis in August 2021.
Show and tell
When undisputed middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler defended against fellow Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns it was a mega fight that far exceed to the tremendous hype. It is one of the handful of greatest fights of all time. Period. It was an electrifying, all-out shootout for the two-plus rounds that it lasted. From the opening bell of the first round — easily the greatest first round in boxing history — until Hagler knocked Hearns out in the third, it was a breathtaking battle of unmitigated violence that decades later is still talked about with reverence. The fight was on April 15, 1985 — 38 years ago on Saturday.
Here are three items from the fight in my collection: The LeRoy Neiman-painted version of the site poster, an official program and one of the more unusual items in my collection — and official ticket order form.
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Photos: Joyce-Zhang and Mayer-Linardatou: Queensberry Promotions
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Big Bang Zhang wasn't given the recognition he deserved, a medallist in 2 amateur World Championships and the 2008 Olympics at Super Heavyweight and who clearly had skills, could punch and to top that off was a natural southpaw. Most people thought Zhang in a close fight had got the win with Zhang knocking Hrgovic down in the first round putting it beyond argument. When the scores were given it made you question whether the 3 judges had got the 2 boxers and their names in reverse. In truth Joyce was fighting a top notch opponent and simply got well beaten. Hopefully Joyce will try to regain his position and this will be seen as a good thing, We need the best fighting the best and a loss is no big deal so long as you get opportunities to redeem your losses.
Falcao is an upgrade in competition over Agbeko, don’t you think?