Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce II | TNT Sport - 23 September 2023

[emallini]

Yarde is a disgrace. Fighting the English champ on the back of fighting for a world title. I'd love it if summers beats him.

Say it to his face badman

[maverick23]

Yarde is a disgrace. Fighting the English champ on the back of fighting for a world title. I'd love it if summers beats him.

This is an over reaction. Summers is better than the average euro knock over. Yarde turned down Dos Santos for the European and I would pick Ricky to beat that guy.

Summers has never been stopped and gave Azezz a decent scrap a few years ago.

It’s not great fight, but ok after a really gruelling war against Beterbiev. They cant just throw him back to another really hard one straight away,

Frank’s been saying they were aiming for Joe Smith Jr for this fight. Summers is a long long way from that and is English title level.

At least Summers will try but there’s a massive gap in levels between both of their last fights. I hoped for better.

[margaret thatcher]

just a normal part of the yarde formula, rack up wins over meh opponents to build to another loss vs someone not so meh. lose, then get the warren mouthpieces to go on about building back with fights like this

[joshj909]

just a normal part of the yarde formula, rack up wins over meh opponents to build to another loss vs someone not so meh. lose, then get the warren mouthpieces to go on about building back with fights like this

Warren doesn't like mid tier opponents for his main guys these days. Either top tier/title holders when his guy needs them to get somewhere or it will be mismatches. Yarde, Dubois, even Fury are prime examples of this.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release

As Boxing Scene previously reported, Anthony Yarder hits the comeback trail towards his next world title challenge on September 23.

Yarde will have an all-British clash against Ricky Summers at the OVO Arena, Wembley on the big Zhilei Zhang-Joe Joyce rematch card, live on TNT Sports.

Tickets to see the heavyweight clash between Zhilei Zhang and Joe Joyce at the OVO Arena, Wembley on Saturday 23 September, are on sale now available from AXS.com and ticketmaster.co.uk.

Yarde, the self-styled Beast from the East, won the admiration of the boxing public back in January when he gave unified world light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev his toughest fight to date before being retired by his own corner in the eighth round in front of a packed and enthralled crowd at the same Wembley venue.

For Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) it represented a second world title challenge after previously going up against the formidable Sergey Kovalev in the then champion’s home town back in 2019.

Summers (19-3-1, 6), from Staffordshire, was most recently in big fight action in March when he defeated Joel McIntyre to win the English light heavyweight title. It was his second tilt at the English belt, having dropped a split decision against the current British and European champion Dan Azeez in April 2021.

Also featuring on the Wembley card, headlined by The Big Bang seeking to once again knock The Juggernaut off course, is WBC International Silver and Commonwealth lightweight champion Sam Noakes (11-0, 11) defending his titles, along with WBC International super lightweight champion Pierce O’Leary (12-0, 7) making a second defense of his belt.

Also in the light heavyweights, the undefeated and flamboyant Nottingham stylist Ezra Taylor (6-0, 4) takes a significant step up when he faces Portsmouth man Joel McIntyre (20-7, 5) over eight rounds.

Former two-time European Amateur champion Royston Barney-Smith will have fight No.7 on his professional journey over six rounds.

Powerhouse cruiserweights and social media enemies Tommy Fletcher (5-0, 4) and Aloys Jr (4-1, 4) will brew their growing rivalry by both fighting in six-round fights to complete the card.

“I am delighted to be getting Anthony Yarde back in business following his January exploits against Artur Beterbiev,” said promoter allegedly. “He wants to be and we want him to be in a major fight again before the end of the year so a tough domestic opponent like Ricky Summers is the perfect test in order to bring Anthony back to his best.

“While Ricky will be an obvious outsider, we all know he will give his absolute all and make it as uncomfortable as possible for the favourite.

“A huge heavyweight showdown like Zhilei Zhang v Joe Joyce deserves a compelling undercard and that is what the fans will be getting on 23 September, live on TNT Sports.

“In Sam Noakes and Pierce O’Leary you will see two of the most exciting young fighters in the country and we also have the charismatic future light heavyweight star Ezra Taylor in a tough one against the experienced Joel McIntyre.

“The elite young super featherweight Royston Barney-Smith is also back on parade alongside our two explosive cruiserweight hopes in Tommy Fletcher and Aloys Jr.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Summer will likely be one of Yarde's best wins.

[maley1984]

Yarde is a disgrace. Fighting the English champ on the back of fighting for a world title. I'd love it if summers beats him.

Say it to his face badman

Talk of fighting fringe world level opponents then fights the English champ. After turning down a European title shot


Badman. Are u 12

[Manchester Hitman]

Yarde is a disgrace. Fighting the English champ on the back of fighting for a world title. I'd love it if summers beats him.

Say it to his face badman

Talk of fighting fringe world level opponents then fights the English champ. After turning down a European title shot


Badman. Are u 12

The Euro Shot would have been against Dos Santos who cried like a new born baby on Buatsi’ shoulder after he switched his lights off. Yarde would annihilate him - at least Summers has a good chin and never been stopped.

BrickTop needs to be held to his word that the next opponent will be better - Smith Jnr would be a great fight for him to put on in London.

[emallini]

Yarde is a disgrace. Fighting the English champ on the back of fighting for a world title. I'd love it if summers beats him.

Say it to his face badman

Talk of fighting fringe world level opponents then fights the English champ. After turning down a European title shot


Badman. Are u 12

Nothing that you are saying makes him a disgrace.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

[bedreamin]

Filip Hrgovic predicts Joyce-Zhang rematch.

He can't see anything but another Zhang victory. Be interesting to see how he handles Demsey McKean on the AJ-Whyte undercard as I think the Aussie is underrated.

[jameswilson]

Filip Hrgovic predicts Joyce-Zhang rematch.

He can't see anything but another Zhang victory. Be interesting to see how he handles Demsey McKean on the AJ-Whyte undercard as I think the Aussie is underrated.

I see Hrgovic wearing McKean down.

The Zhang fight has aged well. Ok it was one of those that could have been 115-113 either way or a draw but actually that does show he’s at that contender level.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release

Five months after Chinese southpaw Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang shook up the heavyweight division with a stunning knockout, he’ll look to do it again. Zhang’s rematch with British superstar Joe Joyce — Saturday, Sept. 23 at OVO Arena Wembley in London — will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+.

Zhang-Joyce II, the return of two-time light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Yarde against Ricky Summers, and additional undercard action begins at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT.

Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KOs), who at 6’6 and 275-plus pounds more than lives up to his nickname, captured an Olympic silver medal for his home country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He turned pro in 2014 and compiled a 24-0-1 record before losing a controversial decision to Filip Hrgovic last August. Less than eight months later, he faced Joyce at London’s Copper Box Arena, peppering the Brit with lefts until the ringside physician stopped the fight in round six due to the swelling engulfing Joyce’s right eye. Zhang snatched Joyce’s WBO interim world title in the process.

Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs), a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, hopes to exact revenge in his hometown. Before the first Zhang fight, “The Juggernaut” was known as boxing’s immovable force, stopping top contenders Carlos Takam, Daniel Dubois, and Joseph Parker during a five-fight knockout streak. Joyce turned pro in October 2017 and won the Commonwealth title in his fourth outing.

[funso banjo baby]

Another pathetic rematch.

Joyce cannot fight any other way

Same result

[CaptainSpacerod]

Another pathetic rematch.

Joyce cannot fight any other way

Same result

Nah it’s an interesting rematch.

It might be a bit late in the day to teach old dog Joyce new tricks but surely he’ll come in with some kind of gameplan to avoid making the same mistake again and again and if he doesn’t get busted up early this could be a humdinger down the stretch

[funso banjo baby]

Another pathetic rematch.

Joyce cannot fight any other way

Same result

Nah it’s an interesting rematch.

It might be a bit late in the day to teach old dog Joyce new tricks but surely he’ll come in with some kind of gameplan to avoid making the same mistake again and again and if he doesn’t get busted up early this could be a humdinger down the stretch

It'll be a good fight. It's just a needless rematch

The division is so bad you have to beat the number 1 contenders twice !!!!

[Manchester Hitman]

Another pathetic rematch.

Joyce cannot fight any other way

Same result

Nah it’s an interesting rematch.

It might be a bit late in the day to teach old dog Joyce new tricks but surely he’ll come in with some kind of gameplan to avoid making the same mistake again and again and if he doesn’t get busted up early this could be a humdinger down the stretch

It'll be a good fight. It's just a needless rematch

The division is so bad you have to beat the number 1 contenders twice !!!!

A rematch that is almost certainly going to be an entertaining war, full of jeopardy is the opposite of a needless rematch.

How often do we see highly ranked heavy’s going at it, on standard subscription TV. It’s not even being dragged out as they will be back in the ring again within around 6 months of the 1st fight.

A needless rematch is something like Haney v Kambosos 2

[MasterG]

Another pathetic rematch.

Joyce cannot fight any other way

Same result

Yeh. But think of the atmosphere.

Sweet Caroline do do do,..,...........

[MasterG]

Anyone else going to Wembley for the fight? Meet up for drinks.

[polecateddy]

Can see this going the way of Eubank/Thompson 2. I think Joyce’s face has had enough!

[deadpan]

Can see this going the way of Eubank/Thompson 2. I think Joyce’s face has had enough!

Yep, I've thought the very same. I see his eye closing early, him given too much leeway by the ref and getting kayoed when it's closed.

[Ruthless-RKO]

ignore

[maverick23]

Card so far

Joel Kodua vs Seamus Devlin

Seth Gyimah vs Darryl Sharp

Sonny Ali vs Richard Helm

Eithan James vs TBA

Moses Itauma vs Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko

Sam Noakes vs Karthik Sathish Kumar
Commonwealth & WBC International Silvver lightweight title

David Bentley vs Kieran Smith
British middleweight title

Mikaela Mayer vs Christina Linardatou
Vacant WBC Interim lightweight title

Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang
WBO Interim heavyweight title

Wasn’t this the first card?!?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Card so far

Wasn’t this the first card?!?

oh yeh.. haha!! My minds blank