Zhang vs Joyce II

Who won Zhang vs Joyce II?

Zhilei Zhang beat Joe Joyce by knockout in the 3rd round on Saturday 23rd September 2023 at OVO Arena Wembley in 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 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 10 more professional rounds, 93 to Joyce's 83.

Joe Joyce was ranked number 7 by the WBO in the 201lb 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 15th April 2023 by technical knockout in the 6th round in their WBO Interim World Heavyweight championship fight at Copper Box Arena, London, United Kingdom.

Previous to that, he had been beaten by Filip Hrgovic on 20th August 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 7th May 2022 by knockout in the 1st round at T-Mobile Arena, Nevada, United States.

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

He had drawn with Jerry Forrest on 27th February 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 15th April 2023 by technical knockout in the 6th round in their WBO Interim World Heavyweight championship fight at Copper Box Arena, London, United Kingdom.

Previous to that, he had won against Joseph Parker on 24th September 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 beat Christian Hammer on 2nd July 2022 by technical knockout in the 4th round at Wembley Arena, London.

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

He had won against Daniel Dubois on 28th November 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 to 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, meaning he had been fighting on average 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 is expected to begin at 2:00 PM EST / 11:00 AM PST. The TNT Sports 1 broadcast of the card is expected to start at 7:00 PM (GTM).

What were the odds on Zhang vs Joyce II?

Zhilei Zhang was a 8/11 (-140) favourite going into the contest, while Joe Joyce made his way into the ring at 11/10 (+110) with oddsmakers.