Joe Joyce vs. Zhang Zhilei | BT Sport - 15 April 2023

[KiwiRider]

If joyce walks through Zhang's shots like he's been doing with other fighters, he'll never get a shot at any of the top guys!

Are you saying he has to deliberately look bad Oogs?

[oogiebe]

If joyce walks through Zhang's shots like he's been doing with other fighters, he'll never get a shot at any of the top guys!

Are you saying he has to deliberately look bad Oogs?

Maybe

[TheLeprechaun]

Zhang is very dangerous. He gets good leverage into the right hook and the left hand. No doubt Joyce will be taking them flush. A chin will get cracked eventually, it's just the way it goes. I'd probably throw something on zhang to win in 1 or 2 rounds. I'm not saying he will win but some serious punches will b bouncing off Joyce's head.

[Grilling Machine]

I think this might be a really tough fight for Joyce. Zhang has power in combinations, when most of today's heavies are tilted towards one over the other.

I strongly fancy Joyce to come through when Zhang tires, but his attributes could make for the first time we've seen Joyce in serious trouble. A harder fight than he needs to take IMO, and he won't get much credit for it. Hrgovic is likely an easier opponent with a higher rank.

[maverick23]

Good fight. I wonder if they’ll go PPV for it.

The Fury/Usyk fight might be delaying this and the AJ fight being announced - you wouldn’t want to be same week or a week either side of it.

I also wonder if Zhang has left Matchroom. Would be good for the sport if they worked together a little more.

[Fightnight Scores]

This is fun stuff

It's a stern test for the Joyce chin....Zhang is a big big lump, so will be good to see how Joyce handles that, he is for the most part used to being the bigger man.

Expect Joyce to get the job done, but it could spark some fireworks early doors.

[jameswilson]

Zhang is very dangerous. He gets good leverage into the right hook and the left hand. No doubt Joyce will be taking them flush. A chin will get cracked eventually, it's just the way it goes. I'd probably throw something on zhang to win in 1 or 2 rounds. I'm not saying he will win but some serious punches will b bouncing off Joyce's head.

Yeah I had some money on Xhang to beat Hrgovic by KO in the first and second. The odds were stupidly wide like 50/1 or something like that. Obviously it lost but he did stick Hrgovic on his arse twice so hardly 50/1 shit.

[joshj909]

Zhang is very dangerous. He gets good leverage into the right hook and the left hand. No doubt Joyce will be taking them flush. A chin will get cracked eventually, it's just the way it goes. I'd probably throw something on zhang to win in 1 or 2 rounds. I'm not saying he will win but some serious punches will b bouncing off Joyce's head.

Yeah I had some money on Xhang to beat Hrgovic by KO in the first and second. The odds were stupidly wide like 50/1 or something like that. Obviously it lost but he did stick Hrgovic on his arse twice so hardly 50/1 shit.

I did the same. Think I had Zhang to win within 4 and also Hrgovic to finish Zhang late on. I thought one of them would be a banker. £50 down the drain.

[TheLeprechaun]

Zhang is very dangerous. He gets good leverage into the right hook and the left hand. No doubt Joyce will be taking them flush. A chin will get cracked eventually, it's just the way it goes. I'd probably throw something on zhang to win in 1 or 2 rounds. I'm not saying he will win but some serious punches will b bouncing off Joyce's head.

Yeah I had some money on Xhang to beat Hrgovic by KO in the first and second. The odds were stupidly wide like 50/1 or something like that. Obviously it lost but he did stick Hrgovic on his arse twice so hardly 50/1 shit.

Zhang clobbers people early and had most of his opponents hurt in the first two rounds at some point.

[oogiebe]

Zhang's performance vs Hrg doesn't make me think he stands any chance vs Joyce. Hrg isn't anything special. Joyce will walk through him.

[skanksta]

Zhang's performance vs Hrg doesn't make me think he stands any chance vs Joyce. Hrg isn't anything special. Joyce will walk through him.

Big Bang is pretty useless, but Joyce "is made for him".
The one person you don't want to "walk thru" is Zhang !
As others have said, he's got a puncher's chance early against some1 so easy to hit..
Great fun fight

[Coco]

Zhang's performance vs Hrg doesn't make me think he stands any chance vs Joyce. Hrg isn't anything special. Joyce will walk through him.

Big Bang is pretty useless, but Joyce "is made for him".
The one person you don't want to "walk thru" is Zhang !
As others have said, he's got a puncher's chance early against some1 so easy to hit..
Great fun fight

Useless??
Come on fella, this board used to have a reputation for high level comment

[oogiebe]

Zhang's performance vs Hrg doesn't make me think he stands any chance vs Joyce. Hrg isn't anything special. Joyce will walk through him.

Big Bang is pretty useless, but Joyce "is made for him".
The one person you don't want to "walk thru" is Zhang !
As others have said, he's got a puncher's chance early against some1 so easy to hit..
Great fun fight

Zero chance. Looking good vs Hrg is far different than facing JJ.

[skanksta]

Zhang's performance vs Hrg doesn't make me think he stands any chance vs Joyce. Hrg isn't anything special. Joyce will walk through him.

Big Bang is pretty useless, but Joyce "is made for him".
The one person you don't want to "walk thru" is Zhang !
As others have said, he's got a puncher's chance early against some1 so easy to hit..
Great fun fight

Zero chance. Looking good vs Hrg is far different than facing JJ.

Joyce is obviously a HUGE favourite - he's much better, fresher etc. etc. etc, but Zhang can KO anybody he can hit and Joyce is hittable....

[oogiebe]

Big Bang is pretty useless, but Joyce "is made for him".
The one person you don't want to "walk thru" is Zhang !
As others have said, he's got a puncher's chance early against some1 so easy to hit..
Great fun fight

Zero chance. Looking good vs Hrg is far different than facing JJ.

Joyce is obviously a HUGE favourite - he's much better, fresher etc. etc. etc, but Zhang can KO anybody he can hit and Joyce is hittable....

I stick by my prediction. Of course I could be wrong, but JJ is as close to unstoppable as I've seen in my lifetime. A brute force like none other. He can be beaten, but right now I can't see him being stopped. Zhang has nothing to beat him with.

[skanksta]

Zero chance. Looking good vs Hrg is far different than facing JJ.

Joyce is obviously a HUGE favourite - he's much better, fresher etc. etc. etc, but Zhang can KO anybody he can hit and Joyce is hittable....

I stick by my prediction. Of course I could be wrong, but JJ is as close to unstoppable as I've seen in my lifetime. A brute force like none other. He can be beaten, but right now I can't see him being stopped. Zhang has nothing to beat him with.

ZHang is a masssive long shot, but...,
What about - say - Zhang 50/1 to win by KO @ R1-6?
Surely you'd be tempted by that ?

[big lennox]

Great fight! I think Joyce will win but Zhilei definitely deserves a big fight like this. I thought he was ripped off against Hrgovic.

[oogiebe]

Joyce is obviously a HUGE favourite - he's much better, fresher etc. etc. etc, but Zhang can KO anybody he can hit and Joyce is hittable....

I stick by my prediction. Of course I could be wrong, but JJ is as close to unstoppable as I've seen in my lifetime. A brute force like none other. He can be beaten, but right now I can't see him being stopped. Zhang has nothing to beat him with.

ZHang is a masssive long shot, but...,
What about - say - Zhang 50/1 to win by KO @ R1-6?
Surely you'd be tempted by that ?

Nah. That's throwing money away.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Not PPV

[THEBUTCH]

You've got to hand it to Joyce...he's no ducker (metaphorically and literally) !

If this fight plays out like we think it will, no one will be going home disappointed

Joyce stoppage As tough as Zhilei is, Joyce is too relentless & committed and won't blow hot & cold like Hrgovic did.

[gregregegg]

agree, never once dodged an opponents challenge....or fist.

[KiwiRider]

A decent matchup, since Zhang should have been awarded a win in his last bout against Hrgovich, but the Chinese has almost no chances against the Juggernaut. Zhang can bang, but Joyce's chin is freakish, while Joe's engine is much better. Joyce gotta obliterate Zhange by the late rounds.

"A decent matchup"
and
"the Chinese has almost no chances"

[forcefraser]

Joyce will butcher him badly. This could be a health risk, as Zhang is tough and will take some serious hammer

[oogiebe]

Joyce will butcher him badly. This could be a health risk, as Zhang is tough and will take some serious hammer

Good point. What did the Romans call it? Decimation.

[DrDuke]

A decent matchup, since Zhang should have been awarded a win in his last bout against Hrgovich, but the Chinese has almost no chances against the Juggernaut. Zhang can bang, but Joyce's chin is freakish, while Joe's engine is much better. Joyce gotta obliterate Zhange by the late rounds.

"A decent matchup"
and
"the Chinese has almost no chances"

Well, I just rate Joyce highly and favor him over the majority of the current top fighters, including Wilder and Joshua.