Filip Hrgović vs. Zhāng Zhìlěi II

I just got around to watching Zhāng vs. Joyce, and saw it a clean sweep for the Zhoukouian-New Jerseyite as of the stoppage. I could see maybe 49-46 with the third going to the Nigerian-Scottish descent Londoner on activity, but that's by a gossamer thread and there are no more shares to be had for him. Zhāng was perhaps on his way to a fuel depletion as they neared the midway point, but it was moot as that dialed-in left hand already had wrought enough pinpoint destruction on Joyce's zygomatic bone that a stoppage on cuts & swelling began to look inevitable before the bell to signal the start of the 6th round had even rung.

Hrgović for his part is yet to compete again since locking horns with Zhāng last August in Jeddah, where both put their zeroes on the line in a mutually long overdue step up in class. That day the Croatian was favored by fortune, albeit via close & controversial decision where he was dropped early by a cuffing right hook (a borderline unintentional rabbit punch, but legal in the referee's eyes which is what counts). He was in talks for an IBF interim world title tilt with Andy Ruiz Jr. at the start of this year, with a purse bid ordered but then abandoned as the Mexican sought the (literally) greener pastures of a Deontay Wilder payday, leaving Hrgović in the lurch.

Both men are now in the position of thumb-twiddling in hopes of hitting the Usyk sweepstakes, but Hrgović *(by dint of being the IBF mandatory) is third and Zhāng (the new WBO interim champ and thus also mandatory challenger) fourth in the current line of succession. First choice for the Ukrainian is, no secret, a unification with Tyson Fury that came tantalizingly close to completion only for negotiations to stall and ultimately fall apart last month. Next in the rotation if that blockbuster event isn't resuscitated soon would be Daniel Raphael Dubois, the WBA regular heavyweight champion.

In the meantime, Hrgović and Zhāng are both facing the Buridian's ass dilemma of either growing rustier by the day when their eventual turn comes, or risking it all by remaining active. Taking one another on in a rematch would be the arch gamble, with the loser knocked completely off the rails of contention and the victor almost cementing his spot and perhaps even jumping to front of the line.

Hrgović himself has called for the rematch (within the last 24 hours, in fact) despite being the beneficiary of an unpopular decision and the man with more to lose in a repeat engagement, and even called for it to happen in Beijing near year's end, boasting that he would love to knock Zhāng out in front of a billion Chinese fans. Zhāng however, has a possible rematch with Joyce opts to pull trigger on that prearranged clause - and has stated that his personal preference would be to fight Tyson Fury next.

 

I didn't, only seen highlights.

Looking at the RBR here, Twitter, and online scorecard aggregator websites it seems the average fan had it 114-113 ZZ.