Zhang vs Joyce II

Who won Zhang vs Joyce II?

Zhilei Zhang beat Joe Joyce by knockout in the 3rd round on Saturday, September 23rd, 2023, at OVO Arena Wembley, London.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Heavyweight division, which meant there was no weight limit.

This contest was for the WBO heavyweight championship of the world.

Also on the undercard Pierce O’Leary beat Kane Gardner, Zach Parker defeated Khalid Graidia, and Anthony Yarde was victorious over Jorge Silva.

Zhang vs Joyce II stats

Back in September 2023, Zhilei Zhang stepped into the ring with a record of 25 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw.

Joe Joyce made his way to the ring with a record of 15 wins, 1 loss and 0 draws.

Zhilei Zhang was the older man by 2 years, at 40 years old.

Joyce had a 2-inch reach advantage.

Zhilei Zhang fought out of the southpaw stance, while Joe Joyce was an orthodox fighter.

Zhang was the more experienced professional fighter, having had 11 more fights, and made his debut in 2014, 3 years and 2 months earlier than Joyce, whose first professional fight was in 2017. He had fought 5 more professional rounds, totaling 110 compared to Joyce's 105.

Joe Joyce was ranked number 7 by the WBO in the Heavyweight division.

Zhang vs Joyce II form

Zhilei Zhang had stopped 3 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had defeated Joe Joyce on April 15, 2023, by technical knockout in the 6th round in their WBO Interim World Heavyweight championship fight at Copper Box Arena, London, United Kingdom.

Prior to that, he had been beaten by Filip Hrgovic on August 20, 2022, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Jeddah Superdome, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Going into that contest, he had defeated Scott Alexander on May 7, 2022, by knockout in the 1st round at T-Mobile Arena, Nevada, United States.

Before that, he had beaten Craig Lewis on November 27, 2021, by technical knockout in the 2nd round at Madison Square Garden Theater, New York.

He had drawn with Jerry Forrest on February 27, 2021, by majority draw in their 10 round contest at Hard Rock Stadium, Florida.

Joe Joyce had stopped 4 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight before this contest, he had lost to Zhilei Zhang on April 15, 2023, by technical knockout in the 6th round in their WBO Interim World Heavyweight championship fight at Copper Box Arena, London, United Kingdom.

Prior to that, he had won against Joseph Parker on September 24, 2022, by knockout in the 11th round in their WBO Interim World Heavyweight championship fight at AO Arena, Manchester.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Christian Hammer on July 2, 2022, by technical knockout in the 4th round at Wembley Arena, London.

Before that, he had defeated Carlos Takam on July 24, 2021, by technical knockout in the 6th round at SSE Arena, Wembley, London.

He had won against Daniel Dubois on November 28, 2020, by knockout in the 10th round in their CBC Commonwealth Heavyweight championship fight at Church House, London.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Zhilei Zhang had been fighting more than Joe Joyce.

Going into this contest, Zhilei Zhang had last fought 5 months and 8 days ago, while Joe Joyce's last outing had been 5 months and 8 days ago.

Zhang's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 6 months and 27 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 6 months and 6 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 31 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.2 rounds on average.

Joyce's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 9 months and 26 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 6 months and 24 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 37 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 7.4 rounds on average.

What time did Zhang vs Joyce II start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 10:00 PM BST at OVO Arena Wembley, London, United Kingdom, which was 5:00 PM EST or 2:00 PM PST on the West Coast of America.

Who broadcast Zhang vs Joyce II?

The ESPN+ show began at 2:00 PM EST / 11:00 AM PST. The TNT Sports 1 broadcast of the card started at 7:00 PM (BST).

What were the odds on Zhang vs Joyce II?

Zhilei Zhang was a 4/5 (-130) favorite going into the contest, while Joe Joyce made his way into the ring at 1/1 (+100) with oddsmakers.