Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream: how to watch WBO boxing online, ringwalk time, what TV channel

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The British heavyweight has picked another tough opponent in defending his interim WBO title

Joe Joyce celebrates after the Vacant WBO Interim World Heavyweight Championship match
(Image credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang will stream live on ESPN+ in the States. Fans in the UK can watch on BT Sport, while viewers in Australia can purchase it through Kayo Sports Main Event. Use a VPN to watch your usual stream while abroad. Full details on how to watch Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang on TV just below.

Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream

Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream: fight preview

Everyone loves a proper heavyweight tear up and Joe Joyce (15-0) against Zhilei Zhang (24-1-1) on Saturday night promises to be a heavy-handed scrap between two big punchers. Joyce's interim WBO heavyweight title will be on the line as the former Olympic bronze medallist looks to add another win to his impressive record as he goes after a mega fight with one of the division's big names Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder. Zhang has proven to be a tough opponent before and with 19 KOs on his record, can definitely bang.

No one could ever accuse Joe Joyce of taking the easy option. The WBO interim heavyweight champion took what many boxer observers believed to be an unnecessary risk in fighting former world champion Joseph Parker in September last year, but the 37-year-old produced the performance of his career to stop the New Zealander in the 11th round with a savage finish. One of the most avoided fighters in the world, Joyce knows time isn't on his side and wants the big fights as soon as he can get them. He's the WBO mandatory for their version of the world heavyweight title, held by Usyk, and would be among the first in line to face either the Ukrainian or Fury later in the year. An excellent pressure fighter, Joyce has a superb jab and is light on his feet with gunpowder in his overhand right. Expect fireworks.

Zhilei Zhang may be a month away from his 40th birthday but the 2008 Olympic silver medallist is showing no signs of slowing down just yet. The Chinese heavyweight lost a close decision to Filip Hrgovic last time out on the undercard of the Usyk vs Joshua rematch in Saudi Arabia, a performance that many at ringside thought Zhang could have edged. That was Zhang's first defeat of a nine-year professional career and, though not the lightest on his feet, the 39-year-old has big knockout power, having stopped 19 of his previous opponents. An awkward southpaw, Zhang has spent much of his professional time fighting in the away corner, so not even a vociferous home crowd at London's Copper Box Arena will deter him from pulling off a big upset.

The Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang main card is due to start at 10.30pm BST on Saturday, 15th April, at the Copper Box Arena, London, UK. That's 5.30pm EST / 2.30pm PST / 7.30am AEST (Sunday). Below, we've curated all the info for boxing fans looking for a Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream in the UK, US, Australia and beyond...

Watch a Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream in the US

In the USA, ESPN+ will broadcast the Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream. 

You can subscribe to ESPN Plus on its own or as part of the great-value Disney Bundle along with Hulu ($12.99 a month).

Going to be outside the US this weekend? You'll need to use a VPN to access the ESPN+ live stream for that price without being blocked or charged a potentially higher fee.

ESPN+ is a streaming-only service which carries a wealth of content including MLB, NHL, MLS, boxing events and Grand Slam tennis.

Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream on ESPN+ ($9.99)

Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream on ESPN+ ($9.99)
Click through to buy your ESPN+ subscription and watch all ESPN+ sports events live streams. Arguably the best deal, however, is the Disney Bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for just $12.99 per month (with ads) or $19.99 (ad-free).

Watch a Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream from anywhere

You won't be able to watch your regular Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream while traveling abroad. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you. You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though.

It's a straightforward piece of software which sets your device to appear as if it's in the right country, allowing you to watch any Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream from anywhere in the world.

We rate ExpressVPN as the best VPN for boxing. It offers a 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

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How to use a VPN for Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang

1. Install the VPN of your choice. ExpressVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. For the Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang fight, you may wish to choose 'US' for the ESPN+ live stream.

3. Then head over to ESPN+ on your browser or device and enjoy the Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream!

UK: Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream

Rights to show Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang belong to BT Sport, whose long-term deal means you'll also be able to watch other Queensberry boxing events on the platform, plus Champions League, Europa League and some Premier League football. You can get BT Sport through BT TV, Sky TV and Virgin Media as well as through the BT Sport website and apps. Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang will be on BT Sport 1 in HD and BT Sport Ultimate in 4K.

BT TV customers: Grab BT Sport from just £10 a month

BT TV customers: Grab BT Sport from just £10 a month Upgrading to all four BT Sport channels is no big deal if you’re already a BT customer. Those with BT TV already can access the channels for £10 per month, down from £17 while the deal lasts. BT Broadband customers can enjoy the BT Sport app and watch on the go for £16.

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Don't want to be locked into a contract? You can also opt for a BT Sport Monthly Pass, which costs £30 per month. It's a rolling one-month contract and you can cancel anytime. The pass lets you stream all four BT Sport channels across iOS and Android devices, games consoles, Now TV set-top boxes, Roku players, and Amazon Fire TV devices.

BT Sport Monthly Pass: boxing for £30

BT Sport Monthly Pass: boxing for £30
The nifty BT Sport Monthly Pass lets you stream all four BT Sport channels across iOS and Android devices, games consoles, Now set-top boxes, Roku players and Amazon Fire TV devices. It's a rolling one month contract and you can cancel anytime.

If you're a Brit who happens to be abroad this weekend, there's no need to pay $74.99 to watch the big fight.

Simply use a VPN to access Fite.TV without being blocked, as if you were back home in the UK. We recommend ExpressVPN, as it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch a Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream in Australia

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Boxing fans in Australia can watch the Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang for a one-off fee of $29.95 via Kayo Sports Main Event.

Though you don't need a Kayo Sports subscription to watch the fight, you can currently get a one-week Kayo Sports FREE trial for the streaming service, so you may as well fill your boots. There are no lock-in contracts for the streaming service and it gives you access to over 50 other sports events including the NRL, NFL, F1, NHL, MLB, as well as international cricket.

Once the trial is up, the Basic plan costs just AU$30 a month and lets you stream on two screens, while Premium is AU$35 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices. There's also the entry-level One plan for AU$25 a month.

The fight is set to begin at around 7.30am AEST on Sunday afternoon.

For those wanting to watch home coverage of the big fight from overseas, a good boxing VPN is the solution. We recommend ExpressVPN as it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang tale of the tape

Name: Joe Joyce – Zhilei Zhang

Nationality: British – Chinese 

Date of Birth: 19th September 1985 – 2nd May 1983

Height: 6' 6'' – 6' 6" 

Reach: 80.5" – 78"

Total Fights: 15 –  26

Record: 15-0 (14 KOs) – 24-1-1 (19KOs)

Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang live stream start time

Global Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang estimated start times:

  • UK: 10.30pm
  • Central Europe: 11.30pm
  • USA (EDT/PST): 5.30pm / 2.30pm
  • Australia: 7.30am AEST (Sunday)
  • New Zealand: 9.30am (Sunday)

Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang full card

Main card

Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang – for WBO interim heavyweight title

Denzel Bentley vs Kieran Smith

Sam Noakes vs Karthik Sathish Kumar

Mikaela Mayer vs Christina Linardatou

Sonny Ali vs Richard Helm

Moses Itauma vs Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko

Seth Gyimah vs Darryl Sharp

Joel Kodua vs TBA

Eithan James vs. Georgi Velichkov

Andy Murray
Andy Murray
Contributor

Andy Murray is an award-winning sports writer and columnist. A fluent Spanish speaker and former semi-professional footballer, he was senior staff writer of world-leading football magazine FourFourTwo for seven years and continues to write and edit for them, national newspapers, websites and Premier League clubs. He is not a famous tennis player.