Joe Joyce knocked out by China’s Zhilei Zhang in third round as he loses heavyweight rematch

Joe Joyce lost his rematch with Zhilei Zhang and recorded back-to-back defeats against the Chinese heavyweight, who now looks for a clash with Tyson Fury.

Zhang shattered Joyce’s unbeaten record with a sixth-round stoppage in April, with the British fighter fighting at his toughest level at Wembley Arena on Saturday looking for revenge.

But this performance was even more convincing from Zhang, who ended the fight with a brutal knockout in the third round.

Joyce looked comfortable in the opening stages of the match, circling to her left to avoid Zhang’s left hand in a relatively quiet first round.

But Zhang came out with much more intent in the second round, actively closing the distance between the two fighters to get within range of Joyce.

A left-right combo stunned the Londoner, before a straight left rocked Joyce’s head back as he struggled to make it to the end of the round after a late flurry from Zhang.

Joyce tried to shake off the cobwebs early in the third, but a double jab saw Zhang wrestle back the momentum before a stunning end to the match.

Zhang pulled Joyce forward with his left hand, before catching Joyce flush with a crunching right hand, nearly sending the Londoner face-first into the canvas.

Joyce tried valiantly to get to her feet in time, but couldn’t quite make the count as Zhang retained the WBO interim title.