1 year ago
30
The rematch betwixt British heavyweight Joe Joyce and China's Zhilei Zhang volition instrumentality spot astatine Wembley's OVO Arena connected 23 September.
The referee stopped the combat successful the sixth circular aft Joyce's swollen oculus had doubly been inspected by the ringside doctor.
"I'm coming backmost to instrumentality backmost what's mine. No compromises. No under-estimating my opponent," Joyce said.
"Nothing, but a win. Last clip retired I mislaid my undefeated nonrecreational record.
"It was hard to take. But aft the particulate settled, each that volition bash is marque maine better. I've learned lessons. I'm ready. And I americium coming for everything."
Joyce was undefeated successful 15 fights with 14 knockouts earlier losing to Zhang astatine the Copper Box Arena successful London.
He activated the rematch clause successful May and posted connected Twitter: "Rematch clause activated. Taking backmost what's mine."
Promoter Frank Warren added: "Joe volition admit that Zhilei did a fig connected him astatine the Copper Box and helium has a batch to enactment connected to enactment it right."
Joyce looks to reclaim WBO mandatory status
'Juggernaut' Joyce was connected the cusp of a world-title changeable earlier losing to underdog Zhang.
The Londoner was staggered respective times by the 40-year-old southpaw earlier the combat was halted.
Joyce mislaid his WBO 'interim' rubric but present has an accidental to reclaim the fig 1 challenger presumption for satellite champion Oleksandr Usyk's belt.
"He knows what helium has got to do, and his contiguous aboriginal depends connected him regaining his presumption arsenic WBO Interim satellite champion," Warren said.
"Thankfully, for Joe's sake, the rotation strategy for mandatory challenges with the governing bodies means the WBO contender against the unified champion has yet to beryllium called.
"So triumph successful September volition enactment Joe close backmost successful the framework to combat whoever emerges victorious retired of the existent champion Oleksandr Usyk and his adjacent challenger, Daniel Dubois."
'Big Bang' Zhang has won 25 fights, with 1 nonaccomplishment and 1 gully since turning nonrecreational successful 2014.
"I created past past clip and I judge the champion mode to inherit past is to make caller ones," helium said.
"I look astatine the rematch arsenic if it was a caller fight; I look astatine Joe Joyce arsenic if I ne'er fought him before. I started from zero and this is the caller self."
English (US)