By Jake Tiernan: Zhilei Zhang says he wants to ensure the judges don’t have a say in the outcome tonight when he faces interim WBO heavyweight champion Joe Joyce in London in their headliner at the Copper Box.

It’s not that Zhang (24-1, 19 KOs) doesn’t trust this particular set of judges. Still, one can understand why he wouldn’t want to leave it to them after last August when he lost a controversial 12-round unanimous decision to Filip Hrgovic in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

By removing the judges from the occasion, Zhang can ensure he gets his hand raised tonight.

It’s thought that ‘The Juggernaut’ Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) will utilize the same blueprint that he had for his fight with Daniel Dubois in 2020 by staying on the outside, jabbing, and waiting until Zhang tires before putting the heat on with his power game. Because Joyce gets hit with everything, he’d be crazy to mix it up with Zhang early in the contest tonight.

“I’ll do whatever I can not to leave it in the judge’s hands,” said Zhilei Zhang to Secondsout about him not wanting to let the judges decide the outcome tonight against Joe Joyce.

“In heavyweight boxing, you can’t predict anything. All I can say is it only takes one shot, and you never know. So everyone that is tuning in to watch, don’t blink. Stay focused,” said Zhilei when asked for his prediction for tonight.

“He looks a little skinnier than he did when I saw him last time. Maybe he’s trying to be faster and be more flexible,” said Zhang to Queensberry when asked about Joyce appearing thinner for their fight.

“I think he’s a good boxer. If he’s ready, I’m ready,” Zhang said about ‘The Juggernaut’ Joyce. “Sometimes boxers are avoided because of business purposes. They’re avoided. Me, I just want to step up against the top challengers. That’s what I want to do.

“I’m ‘Big Bang,’ I’ll bang everything,” Zhang said when asked if he has the power to knock out Joyce. ”

“That’s a question for the future. I haven’t thought about it. My whole focus is on Joe Joyce,” said Zhang when asked if he wants Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk next if he’s victorious over Joyce.

“I think he’s on his way to getting back. He’s not there yet, 100%. Give him some time,” said Zhang when asked about Anthony Joshua’s performance against Jermaine Franklin.