Joe Joyce v Zhilei Zhang: Briton targets world titles and then face Anthony Joshua 'for bants'

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Joe Joyce v Zhilei Zhang: Zhang shares gag earlier fight
Venue: Copper Box Arena, London Date: Saturday, 15 April
Coverage: Live substance sum connected the BBC Sport website & app from 21:00 BST

Joe Joyce wants to combat heavyweight satellite champions Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, and volition past look chap Briton Anthony Joshua "for banter".

Joyce faces China's Zhilei Zhang astatine London's Copper Box Arena connected Saturday.

The 37-year-old WBO interim rubric holder is the mandatory challenger for unified champion Usyk's WBO belt, portion Fury holds the WBC strap.

"I privation to marque a sanction for myself and I privation to beryllium satellite champion. I conscionable request to beryllium fig one," said Joyce.

"Fury said helium wants to combat me, truthful I tin combat him aft the Usyk fight. Then for bants I tin combat [two-time erstwhile satellite champion] Joshua oregon [ex-world rubric holder Deontay] Wilder."

'Joshua is going backwards'

Anthony Joshua and Joe Joyce airs  for the camera earlier  the Rio 2016 OlympicsJoyce (left) and Joshua (right) are erstwhile Team GB amateur team-mates

Joyce has been the mandatory challenger for Usyk's WBO rubric since July 2021. The Ukrainian besides holds the WBA and IBF titles.

"The earthy combat would beryllium to combat Usyk," said Joyce, who archetypal has to bushed Zhang.

But helium whitethorn person to hold adjacent longer for a world-title shot. As portion of a rotation strategy utilized by the sanctioning bodies, chap Briton Daniel Dubois, the WBA mandatory, is adjacent successful enactment for Usyk, with Croatia's Filip Hrgovic, ranked fig 1 with the IBF, second.

Londoner Joyce whitethorn prosecute an all-British combat against Fury, with some men signed to Frank Warren's Queensbury Promotions.

"[Usyk] doesn't privation to combat maine due to the fact that helium says I'm a tank," helium added. "I'd similar to combat Fury. Fury's mentioned my name, said I'm the fig 2 heavyweight - let's marque that fight."

London 2012 Olympic golden medallist Nicola Adams feels Joyce could adjacent get the amended of some champions.

"I don't deliberation there's a heavyweight retired determination that tin lucifer his work-rate and the powerfulness that comes with it," she said.

"He's ever had that ability, adjacent arsenic an amateur, to conscionable grind his opponents down."

If a rubric contention against Usyk oregon Fury does not materialise, Joyce is consenting to enactment his mandatory presumption connected the enactment against Joshua.

The brace person sparred countless rounds implicit the years and Joshua has antecedently said helium would invited the match-up, but Joyce "wasn't impressed" with his compatriot's points triumph implicit Jermaine Franklin earlier this month.

"He tin speech each helium wants but helium seems to beryllium going backwards," added Joyce. "After the combat helium wasn't saying my name."

Fans warming to Joyce's unsocial personality

Joyce turned nonrecreational aft winning super-heavyweight metallic astatine the 2016 Olympics. He has won each 15 bouts, with 14 by stoppage.

Outside the ring, his illustration has grown implicit the past twelvemonth - and determination is simply a consciousness fans are present starting to lukewarm to his rather unsocial personality.

Joyce travels astir London connected a two-wheeler Segway, has a grade successful good arts and is simply a keen gamer. In November 2020, Joyce paused a video crippled earlier his combat with Dubois. After stopping his 25-year-old rival successful the 10th round, Joyce returned location to proceed his game.

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In his BBC Sport column, heavyweight Frazer Clarke described Joyce arsenic "not being the top trash talker".

Where Fury is the maestro of caput games and Joshua tin beryllium philosophical and measured successful his replies, Joyce often appears uncomfortable successful interviews and quality conferences.

But his drawn-out answers, random responses, bizarre quips and comedic timing has endeared him to fans.

In the build-up to his bout with Joseph Parker, Joyce unexpectedly quoted lines from the TV drama amusement Inbetweeners.

At Thursday's quality conference, Zhang said helium is not successful London for sightseeing but to instrumentality Joyce's interim title. "Isn't that stealing?" asked a straight-faced Joyce, bringing awkward laughter from the media.

More than conscionable a granite chin

Heavyweights Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker successful  the ringing  during their September boutJoyce (left) stopped New Zealand's Joseph Parker successful the 11th circular successful September

Joyce insists helium is not taking 'Big Bang' Zhang lightly. The 39-year-old - a 2008 Olympic metallic medallist - has a beardown amateur pedigree and, arsenic a professional, boasts 24 wins with 19 knockouts.

Zhang's lone vocation nonaccomplishment came connected points to Hrgovic successful August - a combat galore observers felt helium won.

"I don't privation to spell 12 rounds with Zhang," Joyce said. "He narrowly missed retired connected the triumph against Hrgovic. It could person gone either way, helium truly pushed hard to the extremity there.

"He landed bully shots and had him successful occupation truthful I thought wherefore not springiness him a chance?

"Considering he's a southpaw arsenic well, astatine a bully level, it leads maine nicely connected to warring a Usyk oregon a Fury."

Joyce - with a reported bony density 5 times that of the mean quality - is wide considered to person the champion chin successful the division.

In his past outing, against Parker successful September, helium shrugged disconnected large hits from the New Zealander earlier an 11th-round stoppage win.

Joyce says determination is much extent to his boxing than an quality to instrumentality punches.

"I deliberation radical are coming circular to the 'Juggernaut' and my imaginable - and however I'm an breathtaking fighter," helium added.

"But sometimes they conscionable prime connected 1 thing. 'He's got a chin'. It was 'he's slow' but that seems to person fizzled retired now."

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