He’s definitely got a puncher’s chance. Joyce’s chin is not unbreakable. He’s been knocked out in the amateurs. Zhang’s best chance is in the first 4 rounds. If he can hit Joyce with a clean flush shot, he can hurt him.
Zhang has huge power and sneaky counters, there could be some dangerous moments early for Joyce but Zhang will gas in no time due to the pace Joyce sets. Joyce by mid-round stoppage is what I'm expecting. Not sure why Joyce took this fight though, why fight one of the biggest punchers in the division when you're in his position? Not complaining though lol, will be a sick fight.
Think it’ll be a fun shootout for 4 rounds, but Zhang is nothing more than a punching bag after the halfway point.
If Zhang would just work on his stamina I think he'd be a much bigger threat than he is, probably in the top ten. There's no doubt that the man can punch. Whether you believe the knockdown of Hrgovic was legit or a bad call by the ref, there's no denying Zhang had him hurt multiple times throughout the fight, and that was despite barely throwing anything. Honestly, I'm not entirely convinced that his poor stamina is an inherent issue he has or because of his age. I'm not an expert by any means but I think his main issue in recent years has been poor hydration. Obviously there's what happened with Forrest, but in preparation for Hrgovic they mentioned he had been drinking five gallons of water a day. Even for a big guy like him that sounds like it's way too much. It sounds like he just went the opposite extreme from the Forrest fight, and it didn't put him in the hospital this time but it's probably why he was so sluggish and inactive in those final rounds, which is what cost him the fight. But that's just my unprofessional opinion. Regardless of that, I'm excited for this fight. I'll be sad to see either lose since I like both guys, but it's great that such a fight is even getting made. Great test of Joyce's chin and a chance for Zhang to further prove his power, plus another shot at mandatory status. I see it either being a Zhang KO or a Joyce decision.
Zhang can undoubtedly knock out Joyce, but unlike Hrgovic, Joyce will not give up, he is more persistent and presses more, but everything is possible...
After the Parker fight last night, I'm actually a little more confident Zhang can get the KO. Maybe like 40% for me right now.
