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How Zhang Displaced Joyce

by Silverbird News24
Chinese are not known for boxing but Kung Fu and Karate. However when they venture into any game, one should expect a stiff competition on from them.
The Chinese are very good in copying quality things to come up with theirs, no matter how bad it will be.
On Saturday night, Chinese boxer, Zhilei Zhang stopped British Joe Joyce via Technical Knockout in round six to clinch the interim WBO belt.
Zhang ruptured the right eye of Joyce early in the rounds and knocked him out technically in round six to record another upset of this era.
Of course it was an upset to Joyce who is currently the number five on the list of the ring magazine contenders.
Joyce is a heavy puncher and one of the probable future opponent of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk but he talks too much these days and with this loss, he will have to learn how to climb the ladder again.
Recall that after the fight between Joshua and Jermaine Franklin on April 1; Joyce hit the media to demand a bout with Joshua immediately, saying he would knockout the former unified champion.
To him, Joshua’s performance is poor against Franklin for going 12 rounds with an underdog. But on Saturday, an underdog did not even give any chance to Joyce to go 12 rounds, he ended it at six.
Again, Joyce had earlier queried Daniel Dubois/Usyk coming fight, saying he was supposed to fight the Ukrainian instead of Dubois.
His thought went beyond Zhang because he thought he was a bigger and elite boxer and would beat the Chinese anyway.
Unfortunately for him, the tough and a more mature, highly technical Chinese knocked him out in round six.
Zhang quickly saw an opening in the overconfidence Joyce, threw a damaging hook that cut the Brit’s right eye. He could not see with one of his eyes anymore as every jab of Zhang distabilised him.
Of course Joyce managed to stay in the bout, it was a matter of time, the Chinese would have caused more damage and erase the Brit.
Thanks to the referee for his professionalism and the doctor who thought the match should not continue.
It reminds me of Lennox Lewis’ last match and one of his most brutal brawls against Vitali Klitschko. Lewis was slower now, the lion had lost his steam but still very dangerous.
He was outpunched by Klitschko, the Brit had to damage the Ukranian’s eye to keep himself in the fight. He ruptured one of Klitschko’s eyes so badly that the doctor had to stop the fight.
The same statement that came from Zhang’s corner on Saturday night had come from Lewis then, “It’s a matter of time, the one whose eye had ruptured will go down.”
Boxing is not a mouth game unless you are Muhammad Ali. The result happens in the ring where the boxer carries his own cross and forgets all the tactics and training by his coach with a big bang on his head, ear or eye.
Hope Joyce had learnt. He will definitely bounce back, a more mature boxer.

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