Undefeated British heavyweight knockout artist Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce takes on once beaten Chinese heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang on April 15, live from the Copper Box Arena, London, UK.
The co-main event features former women’s super featherweight champion Mikaela Mayer fighting last minute replacement Lucy Wildheart in a 10-round lightweight contest.
Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) is long overdue a world heavyweight title shot and he has grown frustrated with the politics of boxing but hopes to one day land a championship fight.
The current belt holders are unified WBA/WBO/IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk and WBC champion Tyson Fury, both are undefeated and they recently had failed negotiations for a undisputed clash at heavyweight. Joyce hopes to be next in line for either guy but he will have to beat Zhang tonight to keep the possibility alive.
Zhilei Zhang (24-1-1, 19 KOs) also has aspirations of world championships, but nearing 40 years old he knows his time is running out and he will have to pull off the upset tonight and beat Joyce to climb higher on the ladder to title contention.
Both fighters won silver medals at the Olympics, Zhang won in 2008 and Joyce in 2016, this will be a clash of two Olympic medalists in the pros which is always an intriguing match-up to view.
American former women’s champion Mikaela Mayer (17-1, 5 KOs) is making her lightweight debut and she will take on late replacement in Lucy Wildheart. The original opponent was Christina Linardatou but the athletic commission nixed the fight due to a failed eye exam. Late replacements are always dangerous especially when a fighter spends all camp focusing and preparing for one opponents style, Mayer must be careful because Wildheart has everything to gain as a step up opponent where if Mayer loses its another setback.
Fight Card
Heavyweight – Joe Joyce vs. Zhang Zhilei
Lightweight – Mikaela Mayer vs. Lucy Wildheart
Heavyweight – Moses Itauma vs. Marcelo Chancalay
Lightweight – Sam Noakes vs. Karthik Sathish Kumar
Middleweight – Denzel Bentley vs. Kieran Smith
Welterweight – Sonny Ali vs. Richard Helm
Super Welterweight – Joel Kodua vs. Dale Arrowsmith
Welterweight – Eithan James vs. Georgi Velichkov
Light Heavyweight – Seth Gyimah vs. Darryl Sharp
Joe Joyce vs. Zhilei Zhang on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. ET/ 12 noon PT LIVE STREAM on ESPN+ in the United States and televised live in the United Kingdom on BT Sport at 7PM GMT.
