September 24, 2023
Source: Boxing Scene
Photo Source: Boxing Scene
Joe Joyce is determined that he still has a lot to offer in boxing.
The heavyweight suffered a second successive crushing defeat, exclusively live on TNT Sports.
Joyce took on Zhilei Zhang in a rematch, just five months after being stopped inside six rounds at the Copper Box Arena in England’s capital, looking to regain the WBO’s mandatory position and the interim heavyweight crown. But 40-year-old Zhang, from China, had other ideas and took out the Olympic silver medallist, 38, in the third round at the OVO Arena in Wembley, London.
Joyce, however, ruled out the possibility of retirement in the aftermath, claiming that there was still plenty more left in the tank.
"I'm going to [take] a bit of time and go on holiday before I reflect and review where I went wrong," ‘The Juggernaut’ said in an interview with iFL TV immediately after slipping to 15-2 with 14 quick finishes on Saturday night.
"I'm feeling good, I'm feeling okay and it's not the end of the world.
“I can rebuild and come back. After all, I’ve had harder, more challenging spars, it wasn’t a grueling fight.” Joyce, who came in at a career-heaviest for the rematch, citing his weight as one of the reasons for the first loss, said he had made the necessary adjustments to deal with the dangerous southpaw, regarding the first fight as nothing more than "a blip".
"I still feel fresh,” he continued, “and that I can do some more sparring and rounds. “I’m feeling okay. I'll just have to lick my wounds and come back stronger, but I’ll probably have to go another route now.”
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