Joyce looked tentative throughout the first three rounds, hesitant to engage and troubled by Zhang’s output. Then, in the final seconds of Round 3, Zhang threw a clean left cross and landed a devastating right hook, dropping Joyce heavily. It was the first time in the Briton’s career that he had hit the canvas, and he narrowly failed to beat the referee’s count after the bell sounded.
Ford comes out with a cut on his right eye sustained in the last round but it doesn’t seem to slow him in any way. He inches forward and tries to stay away from Ball, but that dog in advance eventually shoves him back onto the ropes.
George says they aren’t sure which version of Parker will meet them in Riyadh, the aggressive one which walked Wilder down, or the passive one that tried to counter Joyce, so they are preparing for several eventualities. George did note that Parker’s trainer Andy Lee, a former WBO middleweight titleholder, is a southpaw like Zhang, meaning that Parker will get plenty of southpaw looks in training.
That did not work either. Joyce was sluggish, tentative and frankly lethargic during the fight, box failing to throw anything meaningful and looking rocked as soon as Zhang picked him off on the inside. By the time Zhang felled Joyce with a spiteful haymaker in the third round, it felt as if ‘The Juggernaut’ had already lasted too long.
Wilder vs. Zhang is an interesting fight, not just because it pits two knockout artists, but also because of what it means for the careers of each fighter. Wilder is 38 and Zhang is 41, meaning neither fighter has many bouts left before they hang up the gloves. Both fighters are also coming off of a loss, coincidentally both to former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker.
Wilder was one of boxing’s longest-reigning titleholders, and a can’t-miss/don’t-blink attraction who could change a fight with one punch, and often did exactly that. His trilogy with Tyson Fury was excellent, with the dramatic first fight ending in a draw, Fury’s domination of Wilder in their sequel, and the back-and-forth knockdowns in their third meeting.
Round 3: Joyce comes out trying to stick that jab in there, also trying to get his short hook around the side. Joyce’s right eye not looking great already, but that’ll happen when a 280 lb guy is landing 55 percent of his power shots. Another left got in there. Good body shot from Zhang, Joyce pecking and poking way up top. Joyce with a good little hook. The activity level from Joyce is helping him a lot now, still eating the odd shot, but not as many. Joyce’s best round so far, but Zhang backs him down with another left, and then another lands. The telling shots are still coming from Zhang right now. Zhang 10-9, 30-27.
A year later, Zhang faced Hrgović, an undefeated former Olympic bronze medalist from Croatia. Hrgović had never been past the eighth round. Zhang took him 12, dropping a razor-thin decision. “He won,” says George. “You’ll never convince me otherwise.” A few months later Zhang got the call for Joyce. Cutting left hands did the job in the first fight. One thudding right did it in the rematch.
Ball, a 27-year-old from Liverpool, challenged WBC titleholder Rey Vargas just days after Ford-Kholmatov. This, too, was a come-from-behind story. Vargas pulled out in front until Ball finally closed the distance and got to him. Ball dropped Vargas in the eighth and the 11th rounds but would have to settle for a draw, with scores of 116-110, 113-113 and 114-112.
Similar to his tattoo of Mao, Tyson’s ink of Che Guevara on his ribcage represents his admiration for revolutionaries. Guevara, an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, was a major figure in the Cuban Revolution and is globally recognised as a symbol of rebellion against inequality. For Tyson, this tattoo is a personal emblem of fighting against life’s challenges and standing up for one’s beliefs.
The victory made it a clean sweep for Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, which was squaring off with rival U.K. promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing in a unique 5 vs. 5 team concept created by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.
The fight was allowed to continue, but with Joyce’s eyesight clearly hindered – and being repeatedly peppered by Zhang’s punches – referee Howard Foster recalled the doctor in round six before deciding to save Joyce from any more, potentially long-lasting, damage.
2021年2月27日、マイアミのハードロック・スタジアムでサウル・アルバレス対アブニ・イルディリム戦の前座でジュリー・フォレストと対戦し、初回と2回に3回とダウンを奪うもその後急激に失速したことが響き10回0-1（93-95、2者が93-93）の判定で引き分けた 。試合後検査のため病院に直行すると、失速した原因が脱水症状と貧血だったことが分かり検査すると酵素の水準が高かった為再度検査した結果腎不全だったことが判明し、入院し治療を行った 。
