'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Zhiliei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce 2 is slated for September 23 in London.
In April, 'Juggernaut' returned to the ring to face 'Bang Bang'. Going by the betting line, the heavyweight clash was a bit of a mere formality. Joyce entered the contest off a knockout win over Joseph Parker and was a -1000 favorite getting in the ring in April.
To that point, the British star knocked out all but one of his opponents. With Zhang at 40 years old, it seemed that he would need a Herculean effort to score an upset win. Luckily for the Chinese heavyweight, he gave exactly that this spring.
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In the WBO interim heavyweight title fight, Zhilei Zhang scored a sixth-round stoppage win. With the two men had been trading massive shots, Joyce's eye quickly began to close. By the sixth frame, he was unrecognizable, and the fight was called off.
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The defeat was the first of Joe Joyce's career, but he won't take it lightly. Following the win, Zhang called for a longshot clash with Tyson Fury. However, before that bout could be made, Joyce activated a rematch clause to run it back.
Earlier today, Frank Warren had the launch press conference for the rematch. There, the promoter revealed the bout will take place on September 23 from London at the Wembley OVO Arena.
Joe Joyce vows to win WBO title back from Zhilei Zhang
Joe Joyce is ready to have championship gold around his waist.
The defeat to 'Bang Bang' was a devastating one for 'Juggernaut'. Not only was it the first loss of his career, he missed out on a potential bout with Tyson Fury, and lost his WBO interim heavyweight gold.
Sadly, he wound up losing by sixth-round stoppage, due to damage to his eye. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Joe Joyce reflected on the stoppage. There, he admitted that he understood the stoppage, but thought it was unfortunate.
However, the British contender doesn't plan to let the same thing happen again in September. In the interview, Joyce stated:
"It got stopped from my eye swelling but I was ready to carry on. The ref stopped it for me, I still could see... I live to fight another day. I could've carried on, it could've gotten worse and ended up having to be stopped anyway. But, I live to fight another day, and now I'm back to right the wrongs."
