Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang rematch date revealed as Briton eyes revenge

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Joe Joyce will seek revenge against Zhilei Zhang when the pair clash at Wembley Arena on 23 September, five months after the Chinese heavyweight stopped the Briton.

Zhang handed Joyce the first loss of his professional career in April, beating the Olympic silver medalist via sixth-round TKO at the Copper Box Arena.

The bout was stopped due to significant damage around Joyce’s right eye, with the “Juggernaut” losing the WBO interim title in the process.

Joyce, 37, will look to get back to winning ways when he squares off with Zhang in London again, and he said on Thursday (29 June): “I’m coming back to take back what’s mine. [On] 23 September, I am leaving everything in that ring. No compromises, no underestimating my opponent, nothing but a win.

“Last time out I lost my undefeated professional record. It was hard to take, but after the dust settled, all that will do is make me better. I’ve learned lessons, I’m ready, and I am coming for everything.”

Meanwhile, 40-year-old Zhang said: “I created history last time, and I believe the best way to inherit history is to create new ones.

“I look at the rematch as if it was a new fight, I look at Joe Joyce as if I never fought him before. I start from zero, and this is the new self.”

The official WBO title is held by Oleksandr Usyk, who also reigns as WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion. The unbeaten Ukrainian is due to fight in August, defending his unified titles against mandatory WBA challenger Daniel Dubois.

The sole loss of Dubois’s professional career came in 2020, when he was stopped by compatriot Joyce, who fractured his opponent’s left eye socket.

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