Joyce claims Zhang surprised him when the fight started: 'I had no idea he was so fast and accurate'

Those attributes are exactly why I give him a decent shot against Fury. Some prolly think it's just me talking him up from recency bias, but I believe if uncoordinated as **** Deontay Wilder can get him down four times, someone with the ability to string together sneaky hard punches can too. Also, since he's about as big as Fury, I think Fury would have a harder time buying himself a recovery period by pushing him around in a clinch. Not saying it's a definitive thing, but it's a very real possibility in such a matchup.

I like both Zhang and Joe. They seem like genuinely good guys. Sucks that if Joe loses it's likely gonna be an uphill battle to get his career back on a good track, but I gotta back Zhang. He was one of the first boxers I got interested in when I got into the sport, and a fight between him and Usyk is kind of a dark horse dream fight of mine. I'd say both guys are favorites with Usyk being an absolute one, and I've yet to go into a big fight being a fan of both guys so I think that'd be a cool experience.

 

I gotta admit, I was very disappointed when Hrgovic beat Zhang, but it was a fair win and regardless of my disappointment, Hrgovic staying upright after that onslaught in round 6 was incredible. I thought it was over then. Luckily for Hrgovic Zhang's tank started to go, and was gone by round 10. Crazy thing though, even running on fumes Zhang was able to buzz Hrgovic pretty good in round 11 with a single shot. At the time it made me give the round to Zhang, but that was 100% my bias influencing that decision; still, it was impressive considering just how give out he was by then.

Man, Zhang with more power and better stamina... that would make me fear for most heavyweights I'm betting on Zhang getting a proper KO this time, prolly around the same point the fight was stopped last time. Joyce is gonna get the biggest test of his chin to date this weekend, that's for sure.

Really sucks there has to be a loser this Saturday, but I'm hoping whoever loses puts in a good enough performance to keep momentum, kinda like how Zhang did with Hrgovic. Guess there could be a draw too. I'm not so worried about robberies after seeing the face off today. Giddy ass Frank Warren, you just know he's chomping at the bit to sink his claws into the Chinese market

I'm hoping to see my fantasy Usyk Zhang showdown next year. I'm more hyped for that possibility than Usyk-Fury at this point. Crazy that this is a potential fight, since just two years ago there probably wasn't a single person considering it; I know I wasn't, and they were both some of the first guys I latched onto. I don't wanna see Usyk lose at all, but wouldn't it be something if Zhang of all people became the first Undisputed Heavyweight champion in 25 years? That's something nobody would believe if it was in a movie, but anything can happen in boxing

 

I mean its not hard to be accurate when your opponent doesn't even move his head at all off the center line

 

But he was definitely rocked, it was kinda shocking to see, almost on the same level when Derev give that bodyshot to GGG.

 

People don't seem to grasp that fighters can have slow feet but fast hands, or fast feet and average speed hands, or be slow all over with great timing and consistency, or be quick but have predictable timing or crappy technique that negates their speed advantage. So many factors to consider.

Zhang's one of those guys who due to his size is always going to be plodding on his feet, but who mixes great timing with surprisingly quick and accurate hands and a southpaw stance to catch fighters with heavy shots. Someone like Ruiz or younger Parker might have quicker handspeed in combination but they're never going to land the same type of sniper shots on opponents because they lack the qualities above.

 

The night of I scored the bout 115-112, but that was my bias making me score round 11 because of one good punch. The second time I watched it months later I gave him 1, 3-6 and 9 for 114-113. The same score for Hrgovic is perfectly acceptable, either guy winning was fine by me. I'll admit, even though I wanted Zhang to win both of these fights I was amazed he did as well as he did. I think the damage he did to Hrgovic is the type of stuff that takes years off of someone's life. I bought into the notion that he was too old to really impress, which I guess was good because both times I was pleasantly surprised

Joe looking to come in heavier is actually what's made me more firm on my KO prediction. Feel like he's gonna eat more damage sooner this time out. Joe will be stronger though so Zhang can't make the mistake of letting him through his defenses any. Excited to see how this one plays out.

Dude, if Zhang and Dubois fight, Dubois gets his head taken off. I'm not speaking metaphorically either, I mean some lucky mother****er in the front row is going home with a head as a souvenir

I'd like to see Usyk-Zhang more than Usyk-Fury at this point, though I realize I'm very likely alone on that front. I dunno, just kinda over the other one at this point, but hell that just comes from doubting it'll happen, I know I'll change my mind if it gets made I agree though that ideally Usyk won't have to go through two vicious punchers before getting in with Fury. Course Fury is absolutely tickled that Usyk's mandatories are such vicious punchers, so I have no doubt he's biding his time in that regard. We've discussed it before though, and I have no doubt even a softened up Usyk takes down Fury

Joyce, Hrgovic and Zhang (and Charr/Miller due to the recent stuff with the WBA) wouldn't be a bad bunch of champions to have in a transitional period of heavyweights. Some fun and explosive fights to be had, that's for sure, even if two potential match ups are ones we've already seen.

 

Teddy Atlas says Zhang will win. So it means Joyce will most likely win the rematch.

 

We have to see who @Rumsfeld picks then we can go in the opposite direction

 

Definitely an iron chin but he was rocked. What’s concerned me is listening to his interviews since, that fight definitely had an effect.

 

It was the Jerry Forrest fight for me. That's why I said *this is just a formality*