Joseph Obey Joyce vs. Zhāng Zhìlěi & Denzel Bentley vs. Kieran Smith RBR.

i think it was much simpler than that. anytime joe is not turtled up, hes open to the straight left from the southpaw position, and the overhand right from orthodox. because his head is stationary. to make things worse, his jab is predictable, like clockwork. so a schooled boxer is not going to struggle to time certain punches, depending on stance or style.

 

I agree with you on Joe's tactics being wrong this time around. The shots he took and the eye damage told us that.

But it wasn't a foregone conclusion that Joyce couldn't have turned the fight around had he not suffered the eye damage.

I personally still saw a way he could have turned it around. Zhang was starting to slow a bit even with success.


I'll have to watch the replay tomorrow.

 

Oh, my bad. I interpreted it wrongly.

 

if father time does not intervene.

 

It's a tricky one to gauge. Was Joyce taking so many of Zhang's lefts because of his damaged eye, or was his damaged eye a result of taking so many lefts? Was it the former then yeah I can definitely see Joyce outworking Zhang down the stretch (though his lack of power, especially on that WAF lead hook to the body, was pretty shocking). If it's the latter then the fight becomes a lot harder to tilt in Joyce's favour.

 

Anyone know how the judges had it? Anything but a shutout is home cooking.

 

One judge had Joyce ahead!

 

A few things about this makes me laugh. First off how the same people who acted like Joe Joyce was this unstopped Juggernaut and couldn't be hurt or loss are now acting like they knew he would lose or they are jumping on the Zhang bandwagon. Second it is hilarious people keep talking about how Joyce has this incredible chin. Um this guy has 16 bouts and is 37 years old. The only people he fought in his career who were/are considered punchers are Zhang and Daniel Dubois. Who did Dubois ever knock out who was worth mentioning and before this fight who did Zhang ever knock out? So because Joyce was able to handle Joseph Parker's power it means he has a great chin? Parker couldn't even hurt Junior Fa while old Lucas Browne knocked out Fa in 1 round.

Joyce was knocked out 3 times in the first round as a 27 year old amatuer with headgear and big padded gloves. I know some people will say. It was a amateur bout. Dude he was 27, he was a grown man. It wasn't like a 18 year old David Tua getting dropped as a amatuer. Now grown man's chin is going to get better with age. It has never happened with anybody else and it didn't happened with Joyce. You want to go further? Usyk was able to push Joyce around the ring when he landed punches on Joyce and Usyk wasn't a huge puncher even for cruiser weight standards. Joyce was never anything special. He was just a slow lumbering oaf and Zhang beating him proves nothing. The current heavyweight division is just horrible.

 

The way Joyce fights he is always vulnerable to a quick straight left from a southpaw. You saw Zhang throw that same punch at Hrgovic with success. It was that very same punch that was Joyces downfall. Joe is a pressure fighting plodder with good power and a great chin. He will always be in a fight because of those characteristics. His career is far from over, pending no significant damage to the eye. Zhang should receive a title shot if not this year then early next.

 

Sad, no sport that relies upon judging is on the up and up. Not Boxing, mma, gymnastics, figure skating, or anything else. All corrupt to the core and always have been.

 

The damaged eye was the result of taking those straight lefts.

 

Joyce is the Alfredo Angulo of heavyweights.