Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has told Joe Joyce to hang up his gloves if he doesn't rematch Zhilei Zhang after his defeat to the Chinese fighter.
Joyce, 37, suffered his first professional defeat at the hands of Zhang, 39, in London this past weekend with an eye injury to the Brit stopping the fight midway through the sixth round. The fight has a rematch clause but Joyce admitted that he could face a different opponent instead of Zhang once his eye injury has healed up.
Hearn has now advised Joyce to retire if he doesn't fight Zhang next, telling iFL TV: "If he doesn’t rematch Zhang, he should retire. The reality is, Joe Joyce has never boxed an elite heavyweight. Zhilei Zhang is not an elite heavyweight. Joe wasn’t good enough to deal with Zhilei Zhang. When you sell your attributes based on 'You can hit me as hard as you like, and I’ll keep coming.' That’s not the recipe for longevity in a career."
