Joe Joyce had his march towards a world title showdown with Tyson Fury halted in its tracks by Zhilei Zhang at the Copper Box Arena in London tonight.
The Brit squared off with his fellow ex-Olympian Zhang in his latest hard-hitting run out with a bout against Fury this summer on the tip of fans and pundits tongues heading into the bout. But his infamous ability to take punishment ultimately was his undoing, as Zhang's ability to land flush saw an eye injury that forced a doctor's stoppage in the sixth.
Joyce tipped the scales at a svelte 256lb in an effort to outmove the much bigger Zhang, with fans expecting him to move around behind his jab similarly to his career-making win over Daniel Dubois. But he started rhythmically, even opting to open himself up for heavy shots from his rival on his way in.
And Zhang stunned both his rival and fans in the arena with a big right midway through the second round after an uneventful start to the contest. But Joyce recovered well in the round, eventually opting to go blow-for-blow while putting his infamous chin to work in the third.
Joyce's eye began to swell as the rounds moved on, with Zhang finding constant success with his left hand. And despite Joyce being more than willing to carry on, an eye injury cost him the fight and his mandatory spot with the WBO as the referee was forced by medical officials to call off the bout in the sixth.
After years of grinding his way to the mandatory position amid uncertainty atop the heavyweight division, Joyce was devastated to lose for the first time as a professional, telling BT Sport after the bout: "I'm just disappointed with my performance, I think the right hand he kept hitting me with I couldn't get out of the way.
What did you make of Joe Joyce's stunning upset defeat tonight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"Respect to Zhilei Zhang, Big Bang, it was a good fight but I think I could have done better, I think because I haven't fought a southpaw for so long. Credit to him because he was a good fighter, and I gave it my all. I think I could do better but it's just disappointing.
"I expected to win like I normally do so thanks for all the support and congratulations. I think just a little bit more practice and stuff, Zhilei Zhang is a fellow silver medalist who hits hard and he's an awkward style because he's a southpaw and a powerful southpaw at that.
"I just couldn't get away from his left hand, I kept on getting hit so I was disappointed and I'd like to apologise to all of my fans and supporters. But I also want to thank you for coming down here, I'll be back, my journey's not over this is just a hurdle I may have tripped over so I'll be back.
