![](https://static.standard.co.uk/2023/09/02/18/newFile-9.jpg?width=1200&auto=webp)
Chris Eubank Jr moved to praise Joe Joyce following his defeat to Zhilei Zhang on Saturday night inside London’s Wembley Arena.
‘The Juggernaut’ fell to a second defeat to the Chinese heavyweight in a matter of months, fairing worse than his initial sixth-round TKO loss in April.
It took ‘Big Bang’ only three rounds to dispose of the 38-year-old, ending a contest he had dominated from the off with a vicious haymaker.
What awaits Joyce next is unclear but Eubank Jr was full of praise. He had entered this kind of ‘must-win’ territory earlier this month too when renewing his rivalry with Liam Smith, only he avenged his defeat with a masterclass performance.
“As a man who knows first hand how hard it is mentally & physically to come off a defeat & go straight into a rematch. Gota give all the respect to @JoeJoyceBoxing,” he wrote on Twitter.
“For getting back in there & putting it all on the line for a shot at glory & redemption. Very few people understand how hard it is to do what you did tonight. Zhang’s a hell of a fighter congratulations to him & keep your head up joe you will be back.”