Joyce calms his Nigerian mother Melvin Opara as she interrupts post-fight interview

Defeated heavyweight boxer Joe Joyce had to calm down his mum Marvel Opara who was left emotionally heartbroken following her son's loss to Zhilei Zhang.

Joyce was beaten in six rounds after a series of left hands and sharp combinations left his eye gruesomely swollen.

Referee Howard Foster was left with no choice but to wave off the contest following the advice of the ringside doctor.

The result comes three years after Joyce gave Daniel Dubois similar eye damage in his tenth-round stoppage.

And his mum referenced the length of time Dubois was allowed to box on in the immediate aftermath of her son's first professional defeat.

As Joyce was interviewed on talkSPORT, Marvel cut in: "How come Daniel Dubois can fight for ten rounds and no one looked at his eye?"

But Joyce responded: "No, no, no, Mum, it’s alright."

Dubois, 25, was unable to make it to his feet after ten rounds of punishment in his 2020 thriller with Joyce, 37.

Joyce was instead pulled out by the ref Foster and the ringside medic and joked maybe his old rival got his own back in defeat to Zhang, 39.

He said: "It’s an eye for an eye again now, I got my eye done.

"It’s like what I did, I got a bit of payback from Dubois I guess. Maybe it’s karma.

"He just kept on getting my eye. I’m fine, I’m completely fine, but now it’s closed up and I can’t see out of it now.

"I haven’t fought a southpaw for a long time, so I need to look over the tape.

"I thought I could have carried on, I was taking his shots fine, but it’s just unfortunate that the eye closed up. But I’ll be back."