Zhang pummels Joyce's eye in TKO for WBO interim heavyweight title
Mayer routs Wildheart to win WBC women's interim lightweight belt
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Heavyweight Zhang Zhilei goes by the nickname of “Big Bang” and it could not have been more appropriate in his sixth-round knockout of Joe Joyce to win the WBO interim title in an upset on Saturday before a capacity crowd of about 7,000 at the Copper Box Arena in London.
Zhang, a southpaw, spent five-plus rounds banging his powerful left hand off Joyce’s right eye, eventually rendering his face a bloody mess and his eye slammed close.
When it was obvious Joyce could no longer see out of his swollen and purple eye, the all-action fight was waved off, giving Zhang by far the biggest win of his career and positioning him for as one of the mandatory challengers for three-belt unified titleholder Oleksandr Usyk.
England’s Joyce, fighting in front of his hometown fans, was already in position as an Usyk mandatory challenger. But with WBA mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois (whom Joyce owns a knockout win over) due next followed by IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic (who barely outpointed Zhang in an IBF eliminator last August) Joyce was probably at least a year away from the opportunity. So, he elected to face Zhang, even though he certainly could have opted for a softer touch.
Instead, Joyce, who won the vacant interim belt in by dramatic 11th-round knockout of former WBO titlist Joseph Parker in a slugfest in September and was making his first defense, went toe to toe with the dangerous and powerful Zhang and paid the price.
“Today belongs to me. It belongs to everyone who showed up. It belongs to every Chinese person who showed up,” Zhang said through an interpreter. “I’m 39 years old, but I’m disciplined. I train hard. The next step is for me to fight for a world title.”
The 6-foot-6, 256-pound Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs), 37, the 2016 British Olympic super heavyweight silver medalist, was severely troubled by Zhang’s southpaw stance and simply could not get away from his straight left hand.
The Paterson, New Jersey-based Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KOs), 39, a two-time Chinese Olympian and the 2008 super heavyweight silver medalist, landed an excellent straight left in the second round that hurt Joyce. He landed several more in the round, and bloodied Joyce’s nose. His eye also began to swell by the end of the round.
Joyce was very busy throwing punches and overall landed more than the 6-6, 278-pound Zhang, but Zhang’s shots did far more damage as they battled at close quarters for most of the fight.
By the end of the fifth round Joyce’s eye looked badly damaged. He also had blood smeared all over his face from his nose as well as from his mouth.
Seconds after the bell rang to begin the sixth round referee Howard Foster called timeout to have the ringside doctor examine Joyce’s eye. He allowed the fight to continue but after Zhang landed a burst of punches a few seconds later, Foster called another timeout to take Joyce once again to the doctor.
This time, the doctor whispered something in Foster’s ear and moments later he waved off the fight at 1 minute, 23 seconds.
“I’m just disappointed with my performance,” Joyce said. “The (left) hand kept hitting me, and I couldn’t get out of the way. So, respect to Zhilei Zhang, ‘Big Bang.’ It was a good fight, but I think I could have done better. I haven’t fought a southpaw for so long. Credit to him because he’s a good fighter. I gave it my all, and I think I can do better. It’s just disappointing. I expected to win like I normally do. Congratulations.”
According to CompuBox statistics, Zhang landed 82 of 180 punches (46 percent) and Joyce landed 85 of 464 (18 percent). Despite throwing 284 fewer overall punches than Joyce, Zhang landed 18 more power shots (78-60). Zhang also landed a tremendously high 56 percent of his power shots to nullify Joyce’s activity.
According to Queensberry Promotions, Joyce has a contractual right to a rematch and Queensberry has options to promote the next three Zhang fights.
A victory not only would have kept Joyce in a mandatory position to fight Usyk but there was also the possibility of a summer fight with countryman and lineal/WBC champion Tyson Fury, with whom he shares promoter Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions. Former two-time unified titlist and countryman Anthony Joshua also has prominently mentioned Joyce as someone he has high interest in facing later this year.
Now none of those bouts are likely in the offing for Joyce in the near future. He went to the hospital because of the damage to the eye and a possible broken orbit bone.
“He’s a fellow silver medalist. He hits hard. He’s a good fighter and he has an awkward style because he’s a southpaw and he’s a powerful southpaw at that,” Joyce said. “I kept getting with his left hand. I’m disappointed. I’d like to apologize to all my fans and supporters.
“I’ll be back. My journey’s not over. It’s just a hurdle I may have tripped over, so I’ll be back.”
Mayer claims interim belt
Former unified junior lightweight titlist Mikaela Mayer made a successful lightweight debut as she routed late replacement Lucy Wildheart to claim the vacant WBC women’s interim lightweight title in the co-feature.
Mayer battered the game Wildheart to the body throughout the bout and won 100-90, 98-91 and 98-92 to put her in position to become one of undisputed champion Katie Taylor’s mandatory challengers.
Mayer (18-1, 5 KOs), 32, of Los Angeles, was moving up in weight after losing her two 130-pound world titles by split decision to Alycia Baumgardner in a three-belt unification fight Oct. 15 at The O2 in London.
Unable to secure an immediate rematch, Mayer decided to move up and face former junior welterweight titlist Christina Linardatou (14-2, 6 KOs), of Greece. Linardatou is the only woman to defeat Baumgardner, doing so by eight-round split decision in July 2018.
However, on Friday, the British Boxing Board of Control declined to license Linardatou for medical reasons. Sources told Fight Freaks Unite it was because she was found to have an artificial lens implanted in her eye due to cataract surgery many years ago. She has fought with the lens throughout her career, including under the regulation of the BBBofC in 2019 when he lost her junior welterweight belt by decision to Katie Taylor in Manchester, England.
Top Rank, Mayer’s promoter, knew there was some sort of issue with Linardatou’s medical clearance during fight week and secured Wildheart (10-2, 4 KOs), 30, to be on standby.
“She stepped in at the last minute, so that was really gutsy of her,” Mayer said. “It’s definitely a big fight for her to just jump in at 24 hours’ notice. But she was tough and durable. I see why she had the confidence to do that, so props to her.”
Mayer jabbed well, fired hooks and beat Wildheart relentlessly to the body. Wildheart, a Sweden native fighting out of England, whose five-fight winning streak ended, didn’t win many rounds but she made Mayer work hard for the victory and raised swelling around Mayer’s left eye by the third round — even if the result was never in doubt.
“I like to fight on the inside, so once I knew that she couldn’t outbox me, I decided to take it to her a little bit and try to break her down to the body,” Mayer said.
According to CompuBox, Mayer landed 236 of 592 punches (40 percent) and Wildheart landed 131 of 462 (28 percent). Of Mayer’s landed blows 116 were to the body, the most she has ever landed in a fight. She outlanded Wildheart in all 10 rounds.
Mayer hopes the victory and the interim belt will help her land a mandatory shot against Taylor, the long-reigning undisputed champion. Taylor (22-0, 6 KOs), 36, of Ireland, is scheduled to challenge undisputed junior welterweight champion Chantelle Cameron on May 20 in Dublin. After that, Taylor likely will reschedule a rematch with undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano that was due to take place May 20 before Serrano withdrew due to an injury.
“I do believe that Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano are supposed to go for their rematch, so assuming that still happens, I will challenge the winner of that,” Mayer said. “So, it’s definitely really exciting for me. This is where I belong. I belong in big fights. I belong in world title fights. I’m in my prime. I feel great, and I want the toughest challenges possible, and right now at 135, that’s Katie Taylor.”
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Photos: Queensberry Promotions
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New Jersey roots here! Zhang is apparently boxing out of Bloomfield--closer to Newark--not Paterson. Unless the broadcast had the wrong town. It was odd to see. Zhang has thudding power. I’d like to see Ruiz-Zhang!
I'm Pretty sure Zang Broke Juggernauts Eye Socket & Joe Joyce was Flat Tonight & Showed up & did nuthin @ all