Skinny Joe Joyce comes in via a STONE lighter in Saturday’s duel against Zhilei Zhang as ‘The Juggernaut’ tries to get one step closer to a world title
- Joe Joyce, 37, will return to the ring on Saturday night to fight Zhilei Zhang
- Joyce weighed 256 pounds on Friday while the southpaw weighed 278 pounds
- The ‘Juggernaut’ goes into Saturday’s fight with a record 15 wins and 14 KOs
Joe Joyce showed a dramatic weight loss at Friday’s weigh-in as he tipped the scales a stone lighter than his previous bout ahead of Saturday’s clash against Zhilei Zhang at London’s Copper Box Arena.
Joyce, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, weighed in at 256lbs for his heavyweight fight with the Chinese southpaw, while Zhang weighed in at 278lbs for the bout.
Joyce, who was visibly slimmer when he took the stage, comes in 20 pounds lighter than his fight with Joseph Parker – and then tips the scales at 271.6 pounds, six pounds heavier than his fight with Christian Hammer before it.
Joyce – who has established himself as a mandatory WBO contender – will look to get one step closer to a clash with current champion Oleksandr Usyk by defeating Zhang.
The “Juggernaut” goes into Saturday’s fight with a record 15 wins and 14 knockouts. However, Zhang says Joyce’s record doesn’t scare him ahead of this weekend’s fight.
Joe Joyce (left) fell over a rock during Saturday’s duel against Zhilei Zhang (right).
Joyce jeopardizes his WBO Interim World Heavyweight Title at the Copper Box Arena
“To be the best, you have to beat the best,” Zhang told Sky Sports earlier in the week. “It’s part of the dream of becoming a world champion. “I never run away from a challenge when an opportunity presents itself.”
The Chinese southpaw went on to discuss Joyce’s sturdy chin, saying: “I don’t think a fighter’s chin can be hard enough to handle a perfectly timed punch.”
Meanwhile, Joyce described his fight with Zhang as “risky” but insisted it was an important fight on his way to securing a heavyweight title fight against either Usyk or Tyson Fury later this year.
The 37-year-old British boxer told Sky Sports: “It’s a risky fight but it’s exciting. He’s a big guy. But I’m a big guy. Two big guys will collide and it will be a great fight.
“I could have waited and had an easier fight, but I was like, ‘Why not take a test and stay ready?’ He’s a top fighter… and that leads me well to Usyk or Fury which I’m hoping for – possibly a big summer fight.
Discussion about this post