
Zhilei Zhang vs. Joe Joyce 2 Betting Tips: Back the British underdog in this second meeting

Joe Joyce seeks revenge for the April stoppage that handed him his first loss when he rematches Chinese banger Zhilei Zhang in a bruising heavyweight contest this weekend.
In their first meeting the then underdog "Big Bang" shocked the heavyweight division by damaging "Juggernaut" that badly it caused the referee to intervene and put an end to their fight in the sixth round.
Just like the increased capacity in moving venues from the Copper Box Arena in the Olympic Park to the OVO Wembley Arena, the stakes are also bigger. The winner of this rematch is likely to claim a world title shot against Oleksandr Usyk, or in Joyce's case, possibly establish an all-British clash with Tyson Fury down the line.
In the betting, the roles have reversed, with WBO interim champion Zhang now the favourite at 9/10, while Joyce plays second fiddle at 11/10.
Zhilei Zhang vs Joe Joyce 2 Tips
In a 50/50 fight we have to side with the challenger Joe Joyce, whose odds are presenting slight value at 11/10.
The Brit's game plan for the previous fight was all wrong, but we're convinced he'll have learned from those mistakes. Joyce let himself be exposed to Zhang in an egotistical manner. His face has never swollen up before like it did on that night. He clearly underestimated the Chinese's power, speed and accuracy.
He can't give away those early rounds again and has to operate much smarter this time around. Given the six-month gap between the first fight and this rematch, Joyce can make noticeable improvements to his footwork and now has a previous encounter with Zhang to inform his decisions in the ring.
People are quick to label Joyce, but you don't win a Commonwealth gold, European gold and be in the conversation for world gold if you're not a top-level operator.
Having knocked out 14 of his 16 opponents, the 38-year-old Londoner absolutely possesses the capabilities to beat Zhang, and as the underdog he has the benefit of curbing expectation both in his approach and the fight's outcome.
We're tipping up Joe Joyce to deliver Zhilei Zhang the first knockdown of his professional career, which has been boosted from 15/4 to 9/2 with bet365.
Cast your minds back to the 2012 Olympics and you might remember a 22-year-old Anthony Joshua flooring Zhang with a perfect right hook which helped him secure the gold medal in London.
Just like Joshua, Joyce is also an orthodox fighter coming up against a southpaw in Big Bang. He also has the weight of 14 knockouts behind him, scoring 22 knockdowns during the 80 rounds he's seen inside the squared circle to date.
Fans love to rewrite history and make all sorts of baseless claims about Joyce's ability. However, his lack of output in that first fight didn't give us enough to make a well-founded judgement about him.
If Joyce can tailor his style to suit fighting Zhang - which we believe he can - then we're likely to see a more astute Joyce who can bring that level of devastation we're used to.

Subscribe now for the latest previews, exclusive tips supported by stats, and top offers sent directly to your inbox.