JOE JOYCE has the qualities that characterise brave men – quiet, unassuming, letting his fighting do the talking. In addition he showed humility, dignity and candour in recognising the enormity of the defeat inflicted upon him by Zilhei Zhang, a massively underrated southpaw with good technical skills allied to devastating punching power.
Joyce, whose eye was grotesquely swollen, conceded and accepted he had been beaten on the night by the better man. Outthought and outfought, he displayed a gracious acceptance in defeat when his insides were probably mush. That takes some doing in the immediate aftermath of battle and
