Eddie Hearn explains why he wouldn't be surprised if Joe Joyce retired after upset loss

Eddie Hearn has reacted to Joe Joyce vs. Zhilei Zhang.

'Juggernaut' made his return over the weekend against 'Bang Bang' to defend his WBO heavyweight championship. Heading into the contest, Joyce was a massive favorite as he entered the contest off a knockout win over Joseph Parker last year.

However, the British heavyweight was on the wrong end of a massive upset on Saturday. Both men came out firing big shots early, but Joyce's incredible chin began to take punishment. Along with his chin taking shots, so did his eye. By round six, Joyce's eye began to swell.

In that round, the doctor had seen enough and called the fight off. Joyce's eye was a wreck, and Zhang had secured the biggest upset of the year by stoppage. The loss was hard to watch, and Eddie Hearn believes it could be the Brit's last fight.

In a recent interview with IFL TV, the head of Matchroom Boxing discussed the bout. There, Hearn made a shocking comment about Joyce retiring. The promoter stated:

“He gets hit by absolutely everything, Joe Joyce. I would understand if he retired from boxing. He’s taken unbelievable punishment in sparring, in amateur tournaments and even in the professional code and it was really uncomfortable watching that on Saturday.

"If you can’t beat Zhilei Zhang, you have absolutely no chance of winning a world heavyweight title, no chance. If Oleksandr Usyk had boxed Joyce on Saturday night it would’ve been one of the greatest mismatches of all time."

See his comments below from 25:19 onwards.

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Joe Joyce vs. Zhilei Zhang: 'Juggernaut' releases statement

Days after Joe Joyce vs. Zhilei Zhang, the heavyweight star discussed his loss.

While Eddie Hearn might believe that 'Juggernaut' could retire after his upset defeat, that won't be the case. Just a few short days after his loss, Joyce took to social media with a statement.

There, Joe Joyce informed fans that he was okay for the most part. It's worth noting that despite how his injured eye looked, he managed to escape without any fractures.

Furthermore, the British heavyweight stated that he plans to return and that he still feels he could beat Zhang. On Joe Joyce's Twitter post, the statement read:

“Before you all write me off, I’m okay. Just got a bruised eye, think I’ll be okay. As fights go, I’m in good health. Not a great performance, and have to improve. Zhilei Zhang was the better fighter on the night, but I still think I can beat him. Even though he's a strong contender."

See his tweet below: