British boxer Joseph Joyce spoke out about his loss to Chinese Zhilei Zhang in the main event of the boxing night, which took place on April 16 in London, Britain.
I am disappointed with my performance. The [left] hand kept hitting me, and I couldn’t get out of the way. So, respect to Zhilei Zhang. It was a good fight, but I think I could have done better. I have not fought against a southpaw for so long.
Joe Joyce
Zhang defeated Joyce by TKO in the sixth round and won the interim WBO heavyweight title.
Zhang, 39, fought against Filip Hrgovic of Croatia in August 2022. At the end of 12 rounds the judges all gave the victory to Hrgovic. The Chinese fighter has 25 wins (20 KOs), one loss and one draw.
Joyce, 37, had no losses up to that point and was on a 15-fight winning streak (14 KOs). In September 2022, he knocked out Joseph Parker in the 11th round.