Joyce vs Zhang Fight Date, UK Time, TV Channel, Tickets, Ring Walks
Joyce vs Zhang Tops London Fight Night As The ‘Juggernaut’ Edges Closer To Title Shot
The ‘Big Juggernaut’ Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) is back in action as he puts his WBO Interim World Heavyweight title on the line against Chinese southpaw, ‘Big Bang’ Zhilei Zhang (24-1-1, 19 KOs) this Saturday, April 15 at London’s 8,000-capacity Copper Box Arena, Live on BT Sport and ESPN +.
Joyce, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, is closing in on a shot at the world Heavyweight title but with unified champion Oleksandr Usyk tasked with mandatory challengers Daniel Dubois and Fillip Hrgovic first, the 37-year-old will have to wait his turn.
The consensus division top 5 stopped Dubois in the eleventh round in their 2020 behind-closed-doors bout but with the unpredictability and flawed nature of boxing, it comes of little surprise that Duobis will get his title chance before Joyce, despite not beating any real fighters of note since.
The Juggernaut stopped former world champion Joseph Parker on his pay-per-view debut in front of a good crowd at Manchester’s AO Arena last September, another fight which many saw as 50-50 going in. Joyce’s fight with Zhang, however, is off the PPV platform and will be available as part of your regular subscription.
No easy fights and no long periods of inactivity, Joyce will fight another top-15 Heavyweight in the form of Zhilei Zhang. Many felt that Zhang, who works with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, should’ve got the decision against IBF mandatory Hrgovic last August.
The official result went against the 2008 Olympic silver medalist but he gets another chance at being the mandatory challenger for the unified titles in his bout with Joyce. A must-win for both Joe Joyce and Zhilei Zhang and a ‘can’t-miss’ encounter.
A 9-fight card which features former unified champion Mikaela Mayer, domestic title holders Denzel Bentley, Sam Noakes and more is scheduled to begin at 5:30 pm BST (12:30 pm ET, 9:30 am PT) with the main card a little while later at 7 pm BST (2 pm ET, 11 am PT) on BT Sport 1 and ESPN +.
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Main Event Ring Walks will take place at approximately 10:30 pm BST (5:30 pm ET, 2:30 pm PT). Stay tuned to NoSmokeSport.com for more details about the undercard, running order, and fight week updates as they happen. Tickets for the event, starting at £60, are still available.
Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang – 12 Rounds Heavyweight – Sat April 15– Copper Box Arena, London – Live On BT Sport
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