Cobbs Dominates Broner, Inactivity Kills

The second step for former four-division world champion Adrien Broner on his comeback following the beginning of a new chapter of his career under the promotional banner of Hall of Fame promoter Don King came on June 7th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. Unlike the first step in this phase of his career when he dominated a very “Game," but out classed Bill Hutchinson in June of last year in winning a ten round unanimous decision, step two, which took place nearly one year to the day of that fight, would come against a serious threat in the form of Blair Cobbs.

Cobbs, a Welterweight who himself recently signed with King looking to continue to bounce back from his lone career setback in March 2022, represented not only a legitimate threat and test for Broner in his second flight in three years from a stylistic standpoint, but also a fighter who has been considerably more active than him and his previous opponent, the unknown Hutchinson.

In previewing this bout, this observer stated that it would depend on which version of Adrien Broner showed up. Whether it would be a contest of Broner’s mix of hand speed, punching power, and superb defense against the quick hands and punching power of Cobbs, or if it would be the Broner that stayed in his defensive shell and sparingly let his hands go.

Cobbs immediately established not only the ebb and flow of the fight by establishing a high pace, but also showed that he had the quicker hands of the two fighters, attacking Broner at various angles, and often throwing crisp combinations. This immediately put Broner in his defensive shell, where he was only willing to throw one punch at a time. 

In the second round, Cobbs nearly shocked everyone when he dropped Broner with a perfectly timed counter left hook to the head that knocked out one of Broner’s teeth and sent him down hard on the canvas.Despite not being the first time he had been knocked down in his career, this was a rare time where Broner appeared legitimately hurt and was nearly counted out as he attempted to get his mouthpiece of the canvas while struggling to get to his feet. Broner was able to beat the count and survived the follow-up barrage to get out of the round. 

Though a testament to both his experience and the caliber of fighter he was at his best to survive a scenario that could have ended the fight, the pattern of the fight had been established and it was something that Broner was unable to change in his favor. A pattern that consisted of Broner coming forward seemingly trying to apply pressure on Cobbs, but throwing one punch at a time, which allowed Cobbs to throw short combinations and remain a moving target.

Although Broner would finally begin to open up more with offense in the later rounds of the scheduled ten round bout it would prove to be too little and too late as Cobbs would go on to win a convincing ten round unanimous decision. With the exception of the knockdown in round two, there was not much to say about this fight beyond one fighter out working and dominating the other over the course of ten rounds. 

While the fight was one-sided, it did serve to underscore what is becoming a theme of not just of the coverage provided by yours truly, but in the entire sport. The subject of how inactivity often leads to decline of fighters, which ultimately negatively impacts their careers. It was after all only a few days ago at the time this column is released to readers, that I released a column discussing the recent knockout loss suffered by Deontay Wilder at the hands of Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia on June 1st where much of it centered on the subject of inactivity being essentially a silent killer of a fighter’s ability and ultimately leads to the downfall of their careers.

The commonality between Deontay Wilder and Adrien Broner is each were long aligned with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters and both went through lengthy stretches of inactivity before eventually breaking away from the PBC to try and resume their careers under different promotional banners. Essentially, both fighters are now in the same position where the question is the same. Should both men fight on or retire? 

Whether one  read or wishes to read that column where I shared my thoughts on Wilder’s situation, I will say again, this observer is not in the business of telling a fighter what they should do as to whether to continue on in their careers as one who's job is to objectively cover the sport.  The situations of these two fighters are examples of a bigger issue in the sport that will not likely be easily solved because though the commonality in this case was the inability of a struggling promotional entity to ensure they had the opportunity to compete on a regular basis, each fighter's circumstances will obviously be different. 

In Broner's case, not only did he have a very public split from the PBC, but he has also had difficulty resuming his career on a consistent basis since parting ways. First, there was the signing of a multi-fight deal with digital streaming network BLK Prime, a new player in Boxing promotion that scheduled a fight for him to take place in Atlanta, GA, only for his scheduled opponent Michael Williams Jr. to suffer a broken jaw while in training for the fight. Ultimately, the failure to get that fight in the ring or to find a suitable replacement led to the parting of ways between Broner and BLK Prime.

Although things appeared to be looking up for Broner after signing with Don King following his victory over Hutchinson, Broner, who was originally supposed to fight back in February, suffered a rib injury which forced him to be sidelined until he fought Cobbs. Complicating circumstances further, something that was not covered by yours truly in the lead up to this fight, which was a case of human error on my part is the fact that Broner split from his longtime trainer Kevin Cunningham while in training for the fight with Cobbs leading him to link up with trainer Calvin Ford with limited time to prepare.  The aforementioned circumstances prior to this fight for Broner are not excuses, but one might question the wisdom in not pushing this fight back further after a split between fighter and trainer in the midst of training camp. It would not appear to be a wise decision viewing things from the outside looking in. If one were to also factor into the equation the ramblings of Broner having a difficult weight cut to get down to the 147lb. Welterweight limit, it also paints a picture of a fighter that at minimum was under prepared for the task at hand. 

Whatever the case might be, much like Deontay Wilder, if Adrien Broner wants to fight on, he needs to find what has been missing and needs to show a commitment to fighting on a regular basis, regardless of the caliber of opposition. The point needs to be stressed, a fighter who is active will give themselves the best chance to succeed as compared to sporadic activity or lengthy stretches of no activity in active competition for years at a time. Inactivity more often than not kills a fighter's ability and that eventually leads to the decline and end of a fighter's career.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.

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Has Deontay Wilder Competed For The Last Time?

There are many stages in a boxer’s career. The rise through the initial beginning of one's career, one would often call the development or prospect stage, which if the fighter succeeds often leads to the chance to become a contender, which then if there is continued success might lead to an opportunity to fight for a world championship. For most fighters that achieve the ultimate goal of becoming a world champion, there will come a point where there is the stage known as “The Comeback." Under most circumstances, but not all, it is a stage that comes following the loss of a world championship for a fighter.

For former longtime WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, his title reign of nearly five years and ten defenses came to an end when he was stopped in his second fight with Tyson Fury in 2020 shortly before the global COVID-19 epidemic. Following that loss, Wilder claimed that his setback was attributed to some attire that he had worn to the ring on the evening of the rematch as well as severed ties with his longtime trainer and former world champion Mark Breland, who had thrown in the towel to save him from further punishment in that rematch. A decision that many trainers as tasked with at one time or another in a fighter’s career, but one that Wilder nevertheless disagreed with.

Following a year between fights two and three of his trilogy with Fury, due at least in part to the circumstances of COVID-19 as well as a legal battle that Wilder fought to get an opportunity to regain his title, the third and arguably most competitive fight in the trilogy took place in October 2021. Although Wilder came within inches of being able to stop Fury in the fourth round after dropping him twice, the result of fight three was the same as the second encounter, Fury scoring a knockout win, only this time it was a referee who stopped the fight after Wilder had been dropped for his third knockdown in the bout in the eleventh round.

While the third fight between Fury and Wilder was one of the best Heavyweight fights this observer has covered in his career, which after nearly three decades covers an awful lot of ground, what cannot be underestimated is the physical toll fights like that take on both the victor as well as the fighter that does not get their hand raised. It may indeed be viewed as a cliche by some, but fighters do leave something in the ring after every fight and both fighters, Wilder and Fury took significant punishment in those three battles.

For Wilder, obviously the toll he paid in those fights physically is viewed by many as more significant and severe. It was something that initially did not seem as though would be the case as Wilder returned to the ring in October 2022 and scored a devastating one punch knockout of Robert Helenius, which frankly resembled what he was at his best. A fighter with frightening punching power, among the most devastating in the history of the sport, capable of ending a fight in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately for the former world champion, like several fighters who had long been aligned with the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters, inactivity and the inability to get back in the ring ultimately proved to be detrimental. 

When Wilder climbed back into the ring in December of last year after breaking away from the PBC to face former WBO Heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia, he displayed all the signs of what is known throughout combat sports as “Ring Rust." In that he was sluggish, did not have his timing, and was behind Parker in terms of pace from the opening bell. The end result, Parker scored a one-sided twelve round unanimous decision.

This led to Wilder’s encounter with top Heavyweight contender  Zhilei Zhang on June 1st in the same venue as his encounter with Parker, the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The positive for Wilder was that this bout was a relatively quick turnaround for him in fighting nearly six months after the loss to Parker. Unfortunately for him, this is where the positive aspect ended.

From the opening bell, Wilder looked lethargic and hesitant to let his hands go. What resulted was Zhang gradually walking Wilder down and landing the harder punches of the two fighters. A stark contrast to how Wilder would typically be in that position and normally have success in the days that preceded his trilogy with Tyson Fury. As many Wilder opponents found out, a scenario like that usually ends one way, with the stalker eventually getting the better of its prey. This too would have a similar conclusion. In the fifth round, Zhang caught Wilder with a counter left hook that appeared to land on the nose, which badly staggered the former world champion into turning his back. Zhang quickly went for the kill as Wilder had done many times to previous opponents and landed another left hook to the head before Wilder could get an opportunity to steady himself, much less prepare for what was coming at him, and knocked Wilder down on his back hard on the canvas. Wilder’s mettle showed itself as he struggled to get to his feet, but he did get up from the knockdown. In no condition to continue on very unsteady legs, the fight was promptly stopped.

Before continuing on with the obvious question of whether this knockout loss will or should signal the end of Wilder's great career, a brief historical note of context that the reader might not know and could find insightful. In the days since Zhang’s knockout of Wilder, I have been asked whether the fact that Zhang rushed forward and hit Wilder with the second left hook was in any way a possible illegal move seeing as Wilder had his back turned and was in no way aware or prepared to try and defend himself as Zhang threw what ultimately proved to be the knockout blow. The simple answer is it was perfectly legal and Zhang did what he was supposed to do in that position.

As a noted Boxing historian with a lifetime of watching fight films having been spent, which began long before this observer entered the sport as one who covers Boxing and by extension all combat sports in the mid-1990’s, a practice I continue to this day, the way this fight ended immediately brought back memories of a fight I studied extensively in my youth, which took place slightly before my time.

On June 20, 1980 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada on the undercard of the first fight of what became a trilogy between Boxing Hall of Famers Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran, former WBA Heavyweight world champion John Tate was knocked out brutally by then Canadian Heavyweight champion and rising contender Trevor Berbick in the ninth round of a world title elimination bout.

Where the circumstances between Tate-Berbick and Zhang-Wilder differ is that at the conclusion of eight rounds in a grueling fight, Tate, who had lost his world title to Mike Weaver earlier that year, was badly fatigued and probably should not have been sent out for the ninth round. Shortly after the bell to begin round nine, Berbick hit tate with an overhand right that had Tate turn his back, literally running across the ring trying to get his bearings. In response, Berbick chased after him throwing a barrage of punches as Tate still had his back turned knocking him face down and out cold on the canvas. 

While Zhilei Zhang’s knockout of Wilder was also brutal in how it came about, at least Wilder was able to get up and did not take the type of punishment that Tate did nearly forty-four years ago. Like Zhang however, Berbick, who would go on to lose to Larry Holmes in his first attempt at becoming a world champion in 1981 before becoming a world champion in 1986, did what he was supposed to do, despite the brutality of the knockout that followed when an opponent turns their back to you in the midst of combat. Although the one exception to such a scenario would be if a referee steps in when a fighter turns their back, until the referee makes what is a judgment call to either step in, possibly rule a knockdown, or stop the fight, the fighter in the position of facing an opponent that has turned their back following a legal punch also has to make a decision. Whether to wait and see if the opponent is going to turn back around and resume battle, or to press forward and force the issue. Under the rules, unless the referee steps in, the fighter in the position that both Berbick and Zhang were in, is supposed to keep fighting.

With the brief explanation aided by historical context now concluded, has Deontay Wilder competed for the last time? I am not in the business of telling a fighter what they should do as my responsibility is to objectively cover the sport. Having stated the obvious, there are a few things to consider before any armchair critics form their opinion. One, Deontay Wilder has taken part in some grueling battles, most notably among them the three fights with Fury and two fights with former top contender Luis Ortiz, who challenged Wilder twice for his world title. Each fight, whether a win or a loss, takes something out of a fighter, which often starts in preparation for those fights in training. 

Secondly, like many fighters previously aligned with the struggling PBC group of promoters, inactivity also plays a major factor in a fighter’s decline. Wilder has not been an exception to that generally accepted rule of inactivity being a silent killer of a fighter's skills and ultimately their career. Part of the problem in addition to a struggling promotional entity, which is in a way understandable given the economics of the sport, is fighters in Wilder's position as being one of the top fighters in his division for most of the last decade do not want to compete regularly without significant financial incentives attached, which in this case, means multi-million dollar paydays per fight. Though the struggles of a promoter or promotional entity is the main culprit if said entity cannot provide fights to fighters under their banner on a consistent basis, the fighter must also come to the realization that while the goal of any fighter should be to try and earn as much money as they can, while they can, and hopefully, be wise with their earnings for life after Boxing, by refusing to stay active, insisting on an outdated model of pay-per-view each time they compete, if nothing else, as a means of trying to earn more money than a fighter’s given purse for a bout, they are trading their athletic prime in the process by not fighting regularly.

In contrast, fighters in previous eras in the sport including many Hall of Famers fought regularly in between marquee fights as a means of staying active and staying in ring shape. Often, this ranged from every couple of weeks, to months as opposed to fighting once or twice in a given year. This thus gave those fighters the best opportunities possible to try and succeed when those fights of significant interest came along.

While the above scenario is not aimed at Deontay Wilder directly, fighters who stay active, even if it comes against perceived lesser caliber of opposition in between “Big" or “Marquee" fights will always have better odds of success than one that insists on top dollar, an outdated model, and does not hold their promoter, who is supposed to represent them, to a standard to make sure they have the opportunity to be active on a regular basis. This is an old school philosophy, but one that continues to prove itself as more beneficial as time goes on and more and more fighters fall into a similar pattern.

Third and perhaps most crucial of things one should consider before forming an opinion is, Wilder, who has been under the guidance of former opponent Malik Scott following his first loss to Tyson Fury in 2020, has not been the same fighter. Although there was a glimmer of the Wilder of old both in his third fight with Fury as well as in his knockout of Robert Helenius, something has been missing.

Whether the reluctance to let his hands go on a consistent basis is and has been a result of both inactivity as well as possible lingering effects from the two losses to Fury, both knockouts, Wilder has not been the devastating fighter that he once was. Although it might be tempting to point the finger of blame in the direction of Malik Scott, the bottom line is these are questions and scenarios that not only one should consider before forming an opinion, but also for Wilder himself to ponder before he decides what he wants to do.

Whatever the decisions Wilder makes moving forward, if he wants to continue his career, he needs to realize that not only does he need to find what has been missing, but he also needs to stay active if he wants to succeed. The bottom line is there is no way around it and no loophole that will lead to success beyond a true old school approach. No matter who is in his corner if he decides to fight on, without that realization and approach, Wilder's best days will continue to be behind him. Only Wilder can make the decision whether to fight on or bow out after a great career as one of this generation’s great Heavyweight champions and hardest hitters.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Zhang Makes A Statement With Brutal KO

When it comes to rematches where there was a conclusive outcome in the previous meeting, more often than not, the subject going into the return encounter will be whether it will be repeat or revenge. Often such a subplot is centered on the fighter who was defeated and whether or not they can change the outcome the next time around. Perhaps those of us in the media should start approaching rematches from a slightly new perspective.

A perspective such as whether the fighter who emerged victorious in the previous encounter can produce the same outcome in a rematch being a victory, and could they do so in an even more convincing fashion. When top Heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang scored a convincing sixth round stoppage of undefeated top contender and former Olympic Gold medalist Joe Joyce earlier this year, it was a convincing stoppage as the effects of the punishment he was able to dish out was such that it caused significant swelling to Joyce's right eye to the point where he could not see, thus forcing the stoppage. Despite the clear victory, Joyce, a fighter known for both his punching power and his ability to absorb punishment, was never knocked off his feet. This in addition to Zhang being the first fighter to defeat Joyce as a professional, fueled demand for a rematch.

A rematch that would take place on September 23rd at the historic Wembley Arena in London, England. As was the case the first time around and perhaps in spite of his dominant performance in April of this year when these two fighters met, Zhang was viewed as a significant underdog. While no one should ever diminish the enthusiasm and fandom of a Boxing fan, it was hard to gloss over what Zhang was able to do in the first fight even though there were some who were of the opinion that Joyce may have been able to turn things around in that fight as it progressed into the middle and late rounds, had it not been for the condition of his eye. It is certainly possible for a fighter to have what this observer often refers to as "A Bad Night At The Office" because fighters, like the rest of us, are only human. For yours truly however, I could not simply dismiss Zhang as a favorite going into the rematch based simply on a "What Might Have Been" possibility. It is also worth noting in taking nothing away from Joyce's reputation, Zhang had a lot of the same attributes going into the first fight including punching power and Olympic pedigree as a former Silver medalist in the 2008 games as a Super Heavyweight.

Nevertheless, with a lot of the buzz going into the rematch centered on Joyce and some merely dismissing what he had done in the first encounter, I was interested to see what Zhang would try to do to attempt to improve on an impressive performance. From the opening bell, it was clear that there was only one fighter in the ring that was prepared in all aspects for the second meeting and that fighter was Zhilei Zhang. 

If one were to ask yours truly to describe Zhang's approach to someone who was only a casual observer of the sport, the best words I could use are"Patient" and "Surgical." Perhaps because he came in twenty pounds heavier than he was in the first fight, Joyce hardly threw any punches, was hesitant and did not appear willing to engage. Zhang simply took his time and took advantage of whatever openings Joyce gave him. Rather than being overly aggressive, which might have been a strategy of Joyce's corner, Zhang simply bided his time. He also was able to do something in the first two rounds that had not been done to Joyce before, he staggered him with both his left and right hands. 

After seeing that Joyce did not want to let his hands go and the reaction his body showed to being hit, my immediate thought was the fight would not last long and that clearly Joyce made a bad decision to invoke a rematch so soon after taking a significant beating five months earlier. No sooner did that thought cross my mind, the fight ended in brutal fashion. Late in the third round, Zhang connected with a perfectly timed right hook to the jaw that sent Joyce down hard face first on the canvas. If Zhilei Zhang's victory in the first fight was convincing, his one punch knockout over a previously iron-chinned Joyce should be viewed as an emphatic statement-making performance in proving that the outcome of the first fight was not a fluke.

While Zhilei Zhang is one step from fighting for a world championship as the WBO's number one Heavyweight contender, this second loss for Joe Joyce should probably serve as a cautionary tale for fighters and more specifically those who are tasked with the responsibility of looking out for the long-term well-being for those fighters to not rush into a rematch even if you might be contractually entitled to one as Joyce was here.

Clearly Joyce was not recovered from what he suffered physically from in the first fight and now there may be cause for concern as to whether he should continue on with his career. There have been countless fighters who have lost back to back fights or even more than that and have been able to rebound throughout the history of Boxing, but when a fighter shows obvious signs of not having punch resistance, nor the ability to throw punches consistently, it is time to seriously consider the fighter's health and what the goal might be for life after Boxing.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

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Can Joyce Even The Score?

An old saying that any Boxing fan is likely to hear at some point is anything can happen in Boxing and that especially holds true for the Heavyweight division. At this time last year, Joe Joyce was an undefeated Heavyweight contender, who was riding high following the biggest win of his career in becoming the first fighter to stop former Heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker inside the distance. Just as it appeared that Joyce was on the verge of fighting for a world championship within a short time, he ran into a wall that brought his road to a world title to a halt.

The wall came in the form of 6'6 Heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang. When the two Heated giants met in April of this year, it would be Zhang who would emerge victorious stopping the previously unbeaten "Knockout Artist" Joyce in six rounds. In a rare simple instance in the sport, Joyce exercised his rematch clause, which will take place without much delay or bucket between the two fighters or their camps on Saturday, September 23rd at the historic Wembley Arena in London, England. A rematch that can be seen in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+.

There are two questions that surround this rematch. The first question is one that could be asked in two parts. Is Joyce coming back too soon from a loss where frankly he suffered significant punishment before being stopped and whether there is wisdom in seeking an immediate rematch against Zhang. Question two is one that could be both simple or complex to answer. Will the outcome of the rematch be different than the first fight?

Prior to the first encounter, Joyce had firmly established himself as not only one of the Heavyweight division's feared "Knockout Artists," but as someone with a granite chin. One need look no further than his fight with Joseph Parker nearly one year to the day coincidentally of this rematch with Zhang for an illustration of Joyce's ability to take a punch as Parker regularly connected with hard punches, in particular with his right hand that often landed flush on the jaw and chin of Joyce. Punches that would have ended the night for most Heavyweights that Joyce was somehow able to walk through and keep coming forward. 

One could argue however, that it is that very ability, the ability to take a punch that led to his downfall against Zhang in April. Zang was able to frequently land his left hand and right hook from the southpaw stance throughout the first fight. Although Joyce showed an often granite chin as he had done throughout his career, this was the first time in his career where he would be staggered by an opponent and, despite having some moments throughout and seemingly being able to out throw Zhang, he did not have an answer to avoid what Zhang was throwing at him and to be more specific, he had no way to defend and protect himself against what Zhang was able to land. The effects of the punishment dished out by Zhang became apparent as Joyce's right eye became cut and badly swollen resulting in the fight being stopped in round six.

As this rematch approaches Joyce must show some improvement in his ability to evade punches this time around. It is possible that Joyce's right eye may not be fully healed with only five months between the first fight and the second encounter. With this in mind, it may be likely that Zhang will look to target the right eye of Joyce early on, knowing what damage he was able to cause as well as the narrow period of time Joyce has had to heal from the first fight.

Although Joyce was heavily favored going into fight one, Zhang had only suffered one defeat, a narrow twelve round unanimous decision to Filip Hrgovic in August of last year. A fight that many, including this observer, felt Zhang deserved the decision. Even though it may have been possible that some, including perhaps even Joyce himself, underestimated Zhang back in April, it would be a mistake to write off what occurred the first time these two fighters were in the ring as merely a bad night at the office for Joyce.

Going into fight two, it is Zhang with the theoretical advantages and it is Joyce in the position of trying to avenge the only loss of his professional career. Nevertheless, one of the appeals of the sport of Boxing is indeed anything can happen and with much on the line for both fighters as well as the potential future of the division, this fight is truly must see. Whether Joe Joyce can even the score is a question that will be answered on September 23rd.

"And That's The Boxing Truth." 

Zhang vs. Joyce 2 takes place on Saturday, September 23rd at the Wembley Arena in London, England. The fight can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+ beginning at 5PM ET/2PM PT.

ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices, and Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. 

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Zhilei Zhang Shoes Why Anything Can Happen In Boxing

It is a mantra that has come out of this observer's mouth perhaps more often than others. "Anything Can Happen In The Sport Of Boxing, And That Is What Makes The Sport Great." It is a mantra that is rooted in the fact that regardless of all the statistics that are available, odds that might be placed on a fight, and, despite all the analysis that those who cover the sport, like yours truly, can off, ultimately the appeal of Boxing is not knowing what will really happen when two fighters enter a ring to do battle. While it is something that was instilled in me from an early age dating back to the time before I began my writing journey covering Boxing and other combat sports, it does at times still surprise me how some are surprised when something unexpected happens inside the ring.

The Heavyweight encounter between undefeated WBO number one Heavyweight contender Joe Joyce and Heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang on April 15th in London, England serves as the latest example. Despite Zhang only having one loss in his career, he was viewed by some as a significant underdog against Joyce, who had earned his number one ranking in the World Boxing Organization's (WBO) rankings off of a string of impressive knockouts including in his last fight in being the first to stop former WBO Heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker last September.

With Joyce unfortunately not being close to getting his title shot, which was covered by yours truly in previewing this bout, it facilitated the need for him to fight to maintain his number one ranking. Although Joyce had an arena full of supporters at London's Copper Box Arena, it would become clear rather quickly that this fight would not be a mere "Tune Up" while he was waiting for his shot at the WBO title currently held by undefeated WBO/IBF/WBA/IBO world champion Oleksandr Usyk. While Joyce's path to a world title had stalled through no fault of his own, Zhilei Zhang only saw opportunity.

From the opening bell the southpaw Zhang found a home for his punches working behind his right jab and following it up with flush right hands to the face of Joyce. Although Joyce had also earned a reputation prior to this fight for his ability to take a punch, otherwise referred to as having a solid or "Granite Chin,"' his defensive liabilities emerged in this fight. Most notably his inability to move his head as Zhang was able to land frequently to his head and at times, through his defensive guard. This in addition to peroidic effective work Zhang was also ablecto do to Joyce's body made it clear that the unbeaten Heavyweight was facing an uphill battle.

Despite doing his best to return offense, which did work sporadically, it was not long before the effects of accumulated punishment began to show as Zhang's steady flow of solid left hands resulted in Joyce's right eye rapidly closing. By round six, Joyce's right eye was swollen shut and with no way to defend against the offense of Zhang, appearing as though he could not see out of his right eye, Referee Howard Foster consulted with a ringside physician two times both prior to the start of round six and after halting the action during the round before they collectively made the decision to stop the fight.

For Zhilei Zhang, his win in getting a stoppage over the previously unbeaten former Olympic Gold medalist Joe Joyce not only now catapults him into a mandatory position as far as being a mandatory challenger in the WBO Heavyweight ratings, not only serves as the biggest win of his career, but also in some way likely seems like redemption for him after he suffered a controversial loss in the eyes of some in losing s twelve round split decision to undefeated contender Filip Hrgovic in his last fight prior to facing Joyce where he lost the fight and with it his undefeated record. A lesson that can be learned here for fighters is that a loss does not signal the end of one's career, but those setbacks that in all honesty most fighters suffer at some point throughout their careers can be used as motivation for a fighter to bounce back as Zhang has done here. 

As many fighters have done before him, Joe Joyce must first recover from the beating that was administered at the hands of Zhilei Zhang. Once he has recovered, the process of resuming his career can begin. One defeat does not signal the end of a fighter's career, but it is how that fighter deals with defeat that often shows the mark of a great fighter as those who are able to bounce back and go on to win world titles and gain greater recognition in the process are often referred to when their careers are over. The loss to Zhilei Zhang is the end of a chapter in the story of the career of Joe Joyce, it is not the end of the story itself.

The primary lesson to take from this fight if you are a fan is never approach any fight with the mentality that what you are about to watch is a forgone conclusion. As we have seen time and time again, decade after decade, "Anything Can Happen At Any Given Time In The Sport Of Boxing, And That Is What Makes The Sport So Great."

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

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Can Joyce Or Zhang Make A Statement To Earn A Shot At A World Heavyweight Championship?

There is little doubt that one of the biggest stories occurring outside the ring in the world of Boxing in 2023 has been the on again, off again, back on again,  and finally stalled negotiations for a fight for what would be the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the world between undefeated world champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. While that subject will certainly remain a topic of discussion, the longer both champions are idle also creates a ripple effect for others in the Heavyweight division that are all looking to get into position to challenge either champion. Such is the case with undefeated WBO number one contender Joe Joyce. 

Joyce,  a former Olympic Gold medalist, has boxed his way to an undefeated record of 15-0, with 14 Knockouts and has successfully moved into the mandatory position in the World Boxing Organization's (WBO) Heavyweight ratings, which in theory puts him next in line to face the unified IBF/WBA/IBO/WBO world champion Oleksandr Usyk. Despite this and an impressive knockout win of former WBO Heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker in his last fight in September of last year in becoming the first fighter to stop Parker, Joyce is unfortunately no closer as Mid-April 2023 now comes to facing Usyk. While unfortunately that is likely the result of the stalled negotiations between Usyk and Fury, which if that fight had happened, Joyce would theoretically be in line to face the winner, it now creates a scenario where Joyce needs to fight both as a means of staying active, but also to try and maintain his number one ranking.

Although it has to be frustrating for a fighter in Joyce's position in the politics that be in the sport more or less for the time being maneuvering him out of the equation for a shot at the title, there is a way that this could turn out to be a positive for him. A brief dive into Boxing history by this observer for the reader provides some precedent as to how. 

Many of us of a certain age who have followed the sport for most of, if not all of our lives likely remember the circumstances that the legendary Evander Holyfield found himself in during his initial rise as a Heavyweight contender in the 1980"s after an unbeaten run where he successfully unified the Cruiserweight division. As a Heavyweight contender,  Holyfield fought his way to a number one ranking in the WBC,WBA, and IBF during the period where those were the three recognized world sanctioning organizations in the days that predated the inception of both the WBO and the International Boxing Organization (IBO). The Undisputed Heavyweight champion in those days was a young and unbeaten Mike Tyson,  who in addition to getting into troubles outside of the ring, was facing other opposition in the ring and for circumstances that can be explained simply as the politics of the sport,  Holyfield was denied his opportunity to face Tyson. 

Holyfield responded to those circumstances by fighting more frequently than the champion, facing both top contenders and former world champions in the process. By doing so, it not only kept him active against the best available competition at the time, but it also kept Holyfield in the public eye. This served to his benefit as he built public support in the process and eventually used that to secure a fight with James "Buster" Douglas, who had defeated Tyson in February 1990, to fight for the undisputed championship in October of that year. Holyfield made quick work of Douglas knocking out the champion in three rounds to win the championship and in the process, ushered in a new era of the division, which was largely dominated by him as its central figure. 

While obviously Holyfield had to wait longer than he should have to get his shot, his patience and persistence paid off in the long run and today he is a Hall of Famer and regarded as one of the all-time great Heavyweights. The point of this brief background into a fighter that found himself in similar circumstances as Joyce is now in is simple. Though it has to be frustrating,  it can work for him by turning a negative into a positive.

The next step in the career of Joe Joyce will take place on April at the Copper Box Arena in London, England when the unbeaten "Knockout Artist" will face number thirteen ranked WBO Heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang in a fight that can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+. Zhang is the first Heavyweight that this observer can remember to hail from China and will enter this fight with a 24-1-1, with 19 Knockouts. 

Zhang will also come into this fight however,  coming off of his first loss in his career in dropping a twelve round unanimous decision to undefeated Heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic in August of last year.  While Zang, much like Joyce, has punching power and has shown the ability to score quick knockouts in his career, an argument could be made that the two times he has stepped up his caliber of opposition up to this point, it resulted in a draw with veteran Jerry Forrest and the loss against Hrgovic.

With this in mind, Zhang might be looking to not only win this fight, but do so by making a statement against clearly another opponent that is a step up for him. What this could mean is potentially a short, but explosive fight where it may simply come down to which fighter is able to land flush on the other. In terms of each fighter's ability to take a punch, Joyce took the best of what Joseph Parker threw at him including several flush punches that would have likely dropped most Heavyweights and he kept coming forward. The question is how will Zhang respond to Joyce's power if the unbeaten contender lands flush.

Although much of the attention on the current state of the Heavyweight division has centered on the Usyk-Fury saga as well as the recent return of former two-time Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua, who scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Jermaine Franklin at the beginning of April, it is now time for Joe Joyce and Zhilei Zhang to take center stage to see if either can maneuver their way into a possible opportunity to fight for a world championship, which unfortunately due to the business and political elements of the sport,could prove to be an easier fight to make for either Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury, than a fight between each other for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world appears to be.

"And That's The Boxing Truth."

Joyce vs. Zhang takes place on Saturday, April 15th at Copper Box Arena in London, England. The fight can be seen here in the United States on digital subscription sports streaming network ESPN+  beginning at 2PM ET/11AM PT.

ESPN+ is available through the ESPN app on mobile, tablet, and connected streaming devices and Smart TVs. For more information about ESPN+ including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, and to subscribe please visit: www.ESPNPlus.com. 

*Card and start times subject to change.

"Check your local listings internationally.*

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