Joe Joyce will look to get revenge next weekend when he rematches Zhilei Zhang after suffering the first defeat of his career back in April.
Zhang upset the odds when the pair first met, seemingly unable to miss ‘The Juggernaut’s right eye with his straight left, causing severe swelling and giving the referee no option but wave the fight off in the sixth round.
Joyce activated his contractual rematch clause and now the two will run it back, with the Brit trying to regain the WBO interim title and with it his place in line for a shot a current champion, Oleksandr Usyk.
One man who feels Joyce should have swerved the Chinese southpaw is veteran British heavyweight, Derek Chisora. Speaking to Boxing News, ‘Del Boy’ claims the eye injury hasn’t had time to heal and the outcome ‘will be the same’.
“If he don’t [make adjustments] he’ll get f***ed up, that’s the simplest thing.
Before that Zhang fight he came out BT and was like ‘I use my head then people don’t know I’m still there, I’m still boxing,’ and I was like this guy is an idiot – move your f**king head. Stay away from everything, uou don’t have to use your head for protection.
I tell you what, if I was Zhang I would in there in the rematch and hit the same f**king eye again because I’m telling you, that eye hasn’t healed. Hit him there, hit him there. It will be the same outcome because that eye has not healed. He should move on. He should let Zhang move on.”