Joe Joyce Admits Zhilei Zhang’s Accuracy And Speed Caught Him By Surprise

Joe Joyce was caught off guard by Zhilei Zhang in their first meeting.

Joyce entered the fight with a ton of confidence, but Zhang’s speed and accuracy caused problems for the Brit. Joyce said he wasn’t ready to deal with that as he figured Zhang would gas out but that didn’t happen.

“I thought I would eventually get to him and tire him and then knock him out,” Joyce told BoxingScene.com. “But I didn’t realize how accurate and fast he was. I underestimated his speed and his accuracy. He’s quite a shrewd character who doesn’t let on too much, but he’s a good fighter and it was a big risk fighting him.”

Now, ahead of the rematch on Saturday night at the OVO Arena Wembley in London, England, Joe Joyce is dealing with a ton of confidence. He believes he knows what to do to be ready for Zhang and knows he will right the wrong.

“Obviously, I’ve been working on that,” Joyce said. “And I’ve spent a lot more time in the ring with southpaws because it is a tricky style. It’s different because the lead foot is right next to their lead foot and, you know, there’s completely different tactics than I’m used to. And Zhang is very experienced. He’s been at a high level in the amateurs. And also, the fight he had before against Filip Hrgovic kinda set him up nicely for a fight against me, which is quite similar. So, he’s had a lot more practice. And now I’ve had more practice and I’ll be in better form.”

Do you think Joe Joyce will win the rematch?