What next for Joe Joyce after shock defeat?

Joe Joyce suffered a shock defeat at the hands of China’s Zhilei Zhang on Saturday night, surrendering the WBO interim title after a sixth-round stoppage.

Referee Howard Foster called an end to the bout after doctors twice assessed Joyce’s badly swollen eye, leaving Zhang to celebrate an unexpected victory.

Here we look at what defeat means for Joe Joyce after his first professional loss and what could come next.

World title hopes fade

Joyce made no secret of the fact that he was already looking past Zhang and towards the prospect of glittering bouts against the biggest names in the game. He was angling to make good on his mandatory contender status against WBO, WBA and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk and also talked up an all-English battle against Tyson Fury for the WBC crown.

Now, he will find his name slipping off the radar for both men and needs to rebuild his credentials before he can justify a shot at the top straps.

Rematch potential

The most obvious route back into the conversation for the 37-year-old is to go back to Zhang and try to put things right. It is harder to see the appeal for the victor, though.

At the age of 39, the ‘Big Bang’ may never have as good a chance at taking his own shot at Usyk or Fury. If Joyce was one win away from setting up a high-profile head to head, why not Zhang?

It could take some smart negotiation to line up a return fight and, if that is successful, Joyce’s preparations will need to be even better than before. Even overturning the defeat would be unlikely to restore all of his heat, though, with his unbeaten status gone for good.