LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 15: Zhilei Zhang punches Joe Joyce during the WBO Interim World Heavyweight … [+] Title fight between Joe Joyce and Zhilei Zhang at Copper Box Arena on April 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by James Chance/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesBefore Zhilei Zhang stepped into the ring vs. Joe Joyce last April, it’s safe to say that not many people believed he’d win. Joyce was a -1000 favorite, which seems almost unfathomable today, while Zhang was the +600 underdog. Yet, Zhang dominated most of the fight before stopping Joyce in the sixth round. On Saturday, Joyce now has a chance to make a statement and get his career back on track against the man who sidetracked him. Here’s everything you need to know about Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.
Zhang swelled Joyce’s eye in their first meeting, and there was so damage that the fight had to be halted midway through the bout. It wasn’t only the injury to the eye. Zhang mostly just dominated Joyce.
If the same thing happens on Saturday and Zhang beats Joyce again, Zhang will look to lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Even though Fury is set to face MMA fighter Francis Ngannou and has said he wants more MMA opponents in the future, Terry Lane, Zhang’s co-manager, said his fighter should get his shot at Fury.
“I think a win for Zhilei on Saturday really separates out the heavyweight division,” Lane told Sky Sports. “If he is victorious, you really have Fury, Usyk and Zhang on top. Everyone else will be far, far beneath. If Zhilei wins, as we expect him to again, Fury is our first target. We will have to sit back and see what fights get made—and perhaps, more importantly, which fights do not get made. This division is just a constant game of ‘musical chairs.’”
Targeting Joyce’s right eye again could be one way for Zhang to get his shot at Fury’s championship.
“In the first fight, I had zero idea his eye would end up like that,” Zhang said. “That exposed that weakness. So, I would be a fool if I don’t continue exploiting that.”
At one point in his career, Joyce, especially after he knocked out Daniel Dubois in 2020, was the one targeting Fury. But now, he’s looking for a better performance vs. Zhang. One way he’ll try to do that is by simply being heavier.
In the first fight, Joyce weighed 256 pounds, 15 pounds lighter than he did when he beat former heavyweight titlist Joseph Parker seven months earlier and the lightest he’d come in to a fight since 2019. Joyce said he’s best when he’s in the 270s or even in the low 280s.
“There was something in my diet that wasn’t really agreeing with me, and I think it was tough to keep the weight on,” Joyce said, via Eurosport. “I felt Zhang was a lot heavier and he’s kind of hard to push back, but now that I’m heavier I think I’ll be able to do a bit more and not get pushed back as much.”
Joyce also admitted that the was surprised by Zhang’s speed and accuracy. He won’t make the same mistake on Saturday.
“Zhilei stopped me in my tracks,” Joyce said. “You live and learn and from it.”
Here’s more info on the Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on ESPN+ beginning at 5 pm ET on Saturday.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 15: Joe Joyce reacts after being defeated in the WBO Interim World … [+] Heavyweight Title fight between Joe Joyce and Zhilei Zhang at Copper Box Arena on April 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by James Chance/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesZhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce odds Though Zhang was the huge underdog only five months ago, he’s now the slight betting favorite at -125 (bet $125 to win $100). Meanwhile, Joyce is the tiniest of underdogs at +100 (win $100 on a $100 wager). If you like Joyce, it’s the same odds (+275) whether he wins by decision or by stoppage. I don’t love either prop bet, but I think there’s value in grabbing Zhang to win by decision at +500.
If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Zhang to beat Joyce at -125, Conor Benn to stop Rodolfo Orozco at -400 and Richardson Hitchins to score a win vs. Jose Zepeda at -500. If all those hit, you’d win a $170 profit on a $100 bet.
Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce records Although Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KOs) had previously lost in what had been his most important fight to date (a close disputed decision defeat to Filip Hrgovic), he more than made up for it by blasting through Joyce, the biggest win of his career. Zhang’s draw came against Jerry Forrest in 2021, but you have to figure that if they fought again, Zhang would be the heavy favorite.
Joyce had been riding so very high before his meeting with Zhang. Now, Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs)—even with prior victories vs. Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker and Carlos Takam—must answer plenty of questions. Before his defeat to Zhang, Joyce had won five straight by stoppage, but Zhang has never been knocked down before, so Joyce will probably have to figure out how to outbox his opponent on Saturday.
Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce prediction As Joyce said in the prefight hype, he was built up before his first fight vs. Zhang to be an unbeatable juggernaut. That kind of talk has ceased. I’m looking for Joyce to have a better performance this time, but he’s still going to have a tough time hurting Zhang. We know Zhang can hurt Joyce. We don’t know if the opposite is true. Go with Zhang by decision, somewhere in the 116-112 range.