SATURDAY: Zhilei Zhang-Joe Joyce Heavyweight Rematch Headlines London Fight Night at OVO Arena Wembley LIVE on ESPN+
LONDON (Sept. 21, 2023) – Top Rank on ESPN+ returns to London this Saturday with a special two-fight broadcast from OVO Arena Wembley.
In the main event, Chinese contender Zhilei Zhang defends his WBO interim heavyweight title in a highly anticipated rematch against British knockout artist Joe Joyce.
The co-feature will see former two-time world title challenger Anthony Yarde taking on Portugal’s Jorge Silva in a 10-rounder.
Promoted by Queensberry, Zhang-Joyce II and Yarde-Silva will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.
Zhang (25-1-1, 20 KOs) captured an Olympic silver medal for his home country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics before turning pro in 2014. He compiled a 24-0-1 record before losing a controversial decision to Filip Hrgovic last August. Less than eight months later, he faced Joyce for the first time, peppering the Brit with lefts until the ringside physician stopped the fight in round six due to the swelling engulfing Joyce’s right eye. Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs), a 2016 Olympic silver medalist, hopes to exact revenge in his hometown. Before the first Zhang fight, “The Juggernaut” stopped top contenders Carlos Takam, Daniel Dubois, and Joseph Parker during a five-fight knockout streak.
Yarde (23-3, 22 KOs) is a London native who debuted as a pro in May 2015. He went 18-0 before almost knocking out Sergey Kovalev for the WBO title in August 2019. He bounced back with two TKO wins before suffering a split decision defeat to Lyndon Arthur in December 2020. Yarde then notched three more wins, including a fourth-round knockout over Arthur in their December 2021 rematch. Yarde is coming off a valiant but unsuccessful effort against light heavyweight king Artur Beterbiev in January. Silva (22-8, 12 KOs) is a 19-year pro coming off a decision win over Jack Jones in June.