Joe Joyce v Zhang Zhilei 4/15

[Denilson3.0]

Joyce is Frankenstein in treacle with a consistent jab on a good day and Zhang's southpaw stance took his jab away. So Joyce was slower than a slug in a broken wheelchair and had about as much head movement as a scarecrow.

The terminator intro for Joyce was prophetic (with the eye injury) a shame Joyce couldn't cut away the damaged tissue like Arnie in the terminator (lol) So from this bout we understood Joyce has a granite chin but not granite eyes.

Cod face Warren will be secretly pleased. He's always begrudgingly promoted Joyce since he broke Dubois' face.

This whole "He sucks because he lost" thing in boxing really needs to die a hard death, because all of the best fighters have had losses and I think Joyce would have taken over and dominated the second half of the fight. Joyce took the loss in his stride and didn't have a melt down like Joshua or come up with conspiracy theories like Wilder.

Joyce takes a punch to land a punch, throws a ton, doesn't clinch every 30 seconds or at all, willing to take dangerous fights against dangerous opponents and doesn't just sit on his mando position waiting for the title shot. If more fighters were like him boxing would be far more exciting.

Good stoppage though. Do you want to see an eyeball hanging down his chest ?

People are saying this was a nightmare matchup for Joyce but it really wasn't. If anything Joyce is a nightmare matchup for Zhang. The eye just prevented seeing him drown Zhang in the 2nd half of the fight. The fact Joyce moves as little as possible is a strength for long fight and that’s why he never gets tired. The problem is because he is so slow and lacks head movements but has good chin means the punches he takes to survive till the later rounds are rattling his brain. I guarantee he will have either MND CTE or parkinsons/dementia in his later life.

But Big Joe's size, toughness pressure, and power are still a nightmare to deal with for the vast majority of HWs and just because Big Bang was able to overcome him tonight doesn't mean many others will. Joe is a pressure fighting plodder with good power and a great chin. He will always be in a fight because of those characteristics.

No one is going to have an easy night against Joe unless you can KO him or box and move for the full 12 rounds and not get caught or overwhelmed by his pressure