Frank Warren Hopes Joe Joyce Comes In Heavier For Zhilei Zhang Rematch

Frank Warren is hoping Joe Joyce will come in heavier for his rematch against Zhilei Zhang.

Joyce decided to slim down for the first fight, which caught Warren by surprise. Joyce weighed 256lbs, which was down 15lbs from his last fight. It was a big surprise, and in the fight, the Brit suffered a TKO loss.

Now, ahead of the rematch, Frank Warren is hopeful that Joe Joyce will weigh heavier, and weigh in the 270’s as he did for his match against Joseph Parker.

“I was quite shocked when they announced the weights [leading into the first fight],” Warren said on talkSPORT radio (h/t BoxingScene). “Maybe they thought he was going to be more mobile. It didn’t work out. [Against] Joseph Parker, I thought that was a phenomenal performance. It was a good fight. Parker is one of the top heavyweights in the world and he done a job on him. So, I’m hoping this time around that he comes in around that weight again. That is his optimum weight, that’s the weight he boxes the best at. And hopefully we get the result on Saturday.”

Although Joe Joyce hasn’t talked about his weight, he has been confident he will beat Zhilei Zhang on Saturday. The Brit believes he overlooked Zhang in the first fight, which he won’t do here.

As well, Frank Warren knows this is a crucial fight for Joyce’s career if he’s going to remain a legit title contender.

“Joe knows he can’t afford to slip up on this,” Warren said. “At this age—and Zhang’s age—they’ve got to keep that seat, as I always say, at the top table. Eventually, the mandatory is going to be called for the respective champions. As far as the WBO is concerned, the winner of this fight will be the interim champion and the WBO champion will have to defend against him sometime next year.”

Do you think Joe Joyce will win on Saturday?