Joe Joyce and Zhilei Zhang will continue their quest to win a world heavyweight title when they meet on 15th April for the former's WBO interim heavyweight title.
The winner will be dreaming of a fight with Oleksandr Usyk before the end of the year and it promises to be a toe-to-toe battle for the duration.
What | Joe Joyce v Zhilei Zhang |
Where | Copper Box Arena, London |
When | 22:00, Saturday 15th April 2023 |
How to watch | BT Sport |
Odds | Joe Joyce 1/10, Zhilei Zhang 6/1 |
The fight will take place on Saturday 15th April 2023.
The official undercard should start at 17:00, while Joyce and Zhang are expected to make their way to the ring at 22:30.
This, of course, could change depending on the length of the undercard fights.
Joyce and Zhang will trade leather at the Copper Box Arena in London.
The venue, which was built for the 2012 Summer Olympics, has hosted many of Britain's best stars and it was where ex-fighters James DeGale and Lee Selby defended their titles in 2017.
BT Sport will broadcast the fight as they continue to support Joyce in his quest to become a world champion.
Joyce is the overwhelming favourite for the bout, with odds of 1/10 to have his hand raised.
Zhang will arrive in the English capital as the underdog and even though he has enjoyed a fine career himself, he is the 6/1 outsider to get the victory.
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Joyce will defend his WBO interim world heavyweight title, a belt he has held since September 2022.
The Brit won the strap after beating Joseph Parker and if he defends that title, he could be looking at his first world title fight by the end of the year.
Usyk is hoping to defend his WBO title and other belts against WBC champion Tyson Fury in a unification fight before the end of the summer, but doubts remain regarding this clash after talks broke down in March.
Joyce's professional record is perfect, with 'Juggernaut' winning all 15 of his fights since joining the professional ranks.
The 37-year-old turned professional later than others, only making his debut in 2017. His first nine fights all ended early, including an impressive victory over former WBC world champion Bermane Stiverne in 2019.
Joyce has won 14 fights by knockout and only Bryant Jennings has managed to take him to the final bell.
The Brit has achieved impressive victories, stopping Daniel Dubois, Carlos Takam, Christian Hammer and Parker.
His victory over Parker was the biggest of his career, dismantling the former world champion in Manchester last year.
Chinese boxer Zhang is similar to Joyce in that he also only turned professional after a long and successful amateur career.
The 39-year-old first fought as a pro in 2014, beating Curtis Lee Tate in Fallon, Nevada, USA.
He has fought 26 times since then, winning 24, losing once and drawing one of his contests. Jerry Forrest salvaged a draw during their fight in 2021, while his only defeat came in a controversial bout in August 2022.
He looked to have done enough against Croatia's Filip Hrgovic, but the latter got the decision.
As a southpaw, Zhang is bound to cause some problems for Joyce and if he wins, it will undoubtedly be the biggest victory of his career.
Denzel Bentley's fight against Kieran Smith will be the chief support for the contest, while Sam Noakes takes on Karthik Sathish Kumar.
American Mikaela Mayer will return to the ring for the first time since losing her unified bout against Alycia Baumgardner in October 2022 as she takes on Christina Linardatou.
Sonny Ali, Moses Itauma, Darryl Sharp, Seamus Devlin and Eithan James are also set to fight on the undercard.
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