At 5:30 a.m. on the 16th, at the Queen Elizabeth Park Arena in London, England, heavyweight fighter Zhang Zhilei from China made history.
After six rounds of fierce fighting, his heavy blows caused his opponent Joyce to suffer a serious eye injury and was crowned the WBO heavyweight world transitional champion - and it is no surprise that Zhang Zhilei will be eligible for a mandatory challenge to WBO world champion Usyk.
Zhang Zhilei hit Joyce accurately in the jaw.
Western arrogance
In August last year, Zhang Zhilei lost points in a match with Hergovic for the mandatory challenge to the IBF World Title, but his outstanding performance won unanimous recognition, and he was subsequently invited by WBO transitional champion British Joyce.
With a 15-win career record and having defeated Parker, Dubois and other celebrities, Joyce is seen as a serious contender for the world boxing title.
Sitting at home, Joyce is undoubtedly the bigger favorite - but some insiders are just curious about how hard Joyce's jaw, known for his ability to resist blows, really is? Can Zhang Zhilei, nicknamed "The Big Bang", cause trouble for Joyce?
Boxing expert Chris Carlson said: "Zhang Zhilei is a tough fighter, he hurt Hergovic in the last fight, but I have a hunch that this match will not need a referee's score. ”
"Joyce may lose the first few rounds, and when the fight goes into the second half, Joyce will take Zhang into deep water, and I won't be surprised if Joyce knocks Zhang Zhilei out in the 10th round."
Western boxing experts guessed only half right, and the 6th round of the bout was over, but the victory belonged to Zhang.
Before the match, Zhang Zhilei showed his belief in winning.
Rely on heavy hits to destroy opponents
In the first round of the match, Zhang Zhilei took the initiative and hit Joyce in the face with his forehand punch, at that time Joyce did not react too obviously, it seemed that his jaw was worthy of the name, but the dominant side was Zhang Zhilei.
The second round ushered in the climax of the fight, after Joyce's punch showed the gap, Zhang Zhilei's back hand punch hit Joyce's chin firmly, and the soles of his feet suddenly became soft and a little sluggish, which was a situation that Joyce had never seen in his career, and the home fans in the audience also exclaimed.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Zhilei pursued all the way, but the experienced Joyce still dragged on to the end of the round through sporadic counterattacks and escaped.
During the intermission, the camera showed that Joyce was not lightly injured, except for a bloody nose and a red forehead, his right eye was visibly swollen.
Perhaps realizing that he was in a disadvantageous situation, Joyce increased the frequency of his blows in the third and fourth rounds, while Zhang Zhilei kept his grip and waited for the opportunity to counterattack. For more time in the match, Zhang Zhilei almost gave up his front hand punch and hit the back hand vigorously...
This is Zhang's strategy set before the fight, and the weight shows that Zhang Zhilei reached 278 pounds, which has equaled the record for the highest weight in Zhang's professional boxing career, and he will have to rely on heavy blows to destroy his opponents.
Although the number of punches is significantly less than that of his opponent, Zhang Zhilei can receive results in almost every strike, and between each round, Joyce's face can be seen to be more swollen, and his right eye has even been completely sealed.
In the fifth round, the referee signaled the medical supervisor to come in and check Joyce, and after a short break, the game continued.
But the medical supervisor entered the field again in the sixth round, and this round after carefully examining the wound, the referee terminated the match and declared Zhang Zhilei victorious by TKO.
Joyce was seriously injured and was awarded a TKO loss.
Come on, World Boxing Champion
"Zhang Zhilei is a counter-fighter, and he is a counter-fighter with heavy punches, which I have never been able to adapt to."
Joyce, who had not suffered a defeat in his post-match career before and had not even been really hit hard, was convinced, and his agent was cautious when it came to Joyce's future plans.
It seems that Zhang Zhilei not only won the game, but also seriously damaged the confidence of the opponent, as Zhang Zhilei promised before the game, "Before this game he was complete and inviolable, but after the game, this 'statue' will collapse." ”
"This is my day, I thank the audience, all the Chinese audience who cheered for me and the compatriots who came to support me."
At the moment of victory, Zhang Zhilei roared loudly and vented his emotions, and from 2014 to the professional boxing stage, he waited for 8 years, and struggled for 8 years, and at the age of about to turn 40, he finally won the first world belt of his own, which belongs to Chinese heavyweight boxing.
After the game, the on-site host also specially asked Zhang Zhilei's age, and Zhang Zhilei responded, "I am self-disciplined, I work hard, and age is just a number for me." ”
At the same time, Zhang Zhilei told the audience and the audience around the world that his road is not yet complete, "The next step is to challenge the world champion." ”
According to the rules, Zhang Zhilei, who won the WBO Transitional World Boxing Title, will have the right to forcibly challenge the official boxing champion Usyk, and if Usyk gives up the mandatory defense of the title, he will be deprived of the belt, and Zhang Zhilei will automatically obtain the World Champion title.
It can be said that the current victory has raised Zhang Zhilei to a new height, and it is only the last step away from his ultimate dream - to become the world boxing title.
And for Chinese boxing, this is a day of resentment - we have the first World Heavyweight Transition Champion and a Legal Challenger for the World Champion, and the World Heavyweight Boxing Arena is beginning to be shocked by the emergence of a Chinese.