Heavyweight prospect and knockout-artist, Jared Anderson, says Joe Joyce was ‘bound’ to get beat at some point and wasn’t surprised when Zhilei Zhang dealt him the first loss of his career.
Zhang stopped Joyce in the sixth-round of their fight last month, claiming the Brit’s WBO Interim title and position as mandatory challenger as a result. Whilst the defeat will undoubtedly have caused concern for Joyce and his fans, the manner in which he lost seems to have sparked greater criticism.
Zhang dominated the contest from the opening bell, breaking Joyce down and ending any speculation that he couldn’t be hurt – previously perceived as one of the Olympic bronze medallist’s greatest assets.
Now, the aura of Joyce’s durability has somewhat diminished and Anderson, who has knocked out each of his fourteen opponents since making his professional debut, told ‘Tha Boxing Voice’ that it was just a matter of time.
“Bound to happen, Joe Joyce gets hit a lot. So it was always bound to happen against somebody who can punch.”
On how he himself would fare against Zhang, the young American believes it would be an easy night’s work.
“He’s slow, he’s just strong. Easy Fight.”
Anderson has received plaudits for his manoeuvring in the heavyweight scene and is tipped by many experts and fighters to be the future of the heavyweight division.
However, he has admitted that he does not plan on sticking around in the sport, which he seemingly has no real love for, and previously revealed his intent to reach the peak of the division, make money, and retire in the next few years.
The 23-year-old appears to be backing up those claims, wasting no time in chasing the big fights, being scheduled to fight fellow unbeaten heavyweight, Zhan Kossobutskiy on July 1, and potentially Arslanbek Makhmudov straight after.
Many feel the clock is ticking on Joyce’s career, with father time rearing its head in his defeat to Zhang. Joyce has now officially activated his rematch clause, so is seemingly set to run it straight back.