LONDON (Reuters) – Chinese heavyweight Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang knocked out Britain’s Joe Joyce in the third round of their rematch at London’s Wembley Arena on Saturday.
The 40-year-old Zhang sent his 38-year-old opponent sprawling to the canvas with a huge right hook to his jaw. Joyce got back to his feet and received oxygen after the referee waved off the fight.
Zhang, the 2008 Olympic silver medallist who stopped Joyce in six rounds last April at London’s Copper Box, is the WBO’s mandatory challenger for Ukraine’s WBO, IBO, IBF and WBA champion Oleksandr Usyk.
“Like I said before the fight, it’s going to end sooner than the first one,” Zhang, now with a record of 25 wins with one defeat and one draw, told the crowd through a translator.
“I hope everyone enjoyed my performance,” he added, before asking the fans whether they wanted to see him “shut Tyson Fury up”.
Britain’s ‘Gypsy King’ Fury is the holder of the WBC world heavyweight belt.
Joyce left the ring without conducting an interview.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris)
