Posted on 09/29/2022
By: Sean Crose
It’s good to be Joe Joyce right now. The Englishman has been fighting professionally since 2017, but last Saturday the undefeated heavyweight truly blasted his way onto the radar with an impressive knockout of former titlist and popular contender Joseph Parker. It was a slow, brutal fight, almost the type of throwdown one expects those old time bare knuckle guys engaged in, with each man taking his time in order to launch his punches for maximum impact. Parker had his moments, but Joyce, who appears to be made of some kind of iron, took the shots before polishing his man off in the eleventh.
“I’ve had a lovely day of watching boxing,” WBC and lineal heavyweight champ Tyson Fury said on a Wednesday Instagram post, adding he feels “Big Joe Joyce is the second best heavyweight in the world, behind myself and on his day, given his moment, who knows if he could beat me or not?” The heavyweight king then stated: “I think we’ll have to find out one of these days.” It has to be noted, however, that Fury’s words frequently have to be taken with a grain of salt (Remember that retirement?). “He wouldn’t land one punch on me in 12 rounds,” Fury has also said of Joyce. “I don’t think he could hit me if he had a fucking handful of rice.”
Still, Fury has asserted that pretty much everyone else at the top of the heavyweight division might be in trouble against Joyce. “I think he beats Anthony Joshua,” Fury previously claimed. “I think he beats the middleweight (who is, in reality, heavyweight multititlist Oleksandr Usyk), he might have a problem with Deontay Wilder’s speed and power.” It’s worth keeping in mind that boxers like Fury are not lawyers or politicians. Like everyone else, they’re free to contradict themselves, especially in the heat of the moment. Not every word should be expected to be deliberate.
With that being said, Joyce responded to Fury’s Instagram video in good natured, competitive fashion. “Let’s Go, sign the contract, Big Boy!!!” he tweeted at Fury. “N.1 Vs N.2 for the LINEAL!!!” Fury, as is his nature, was ready with a quick response. “It’s not our time big Joe,” he tweeted back. “I have to win undisputed first vs the middleweight! You also have to build yourself up to the big time!” At the moment, there is still hope, though perhaps slim hope, that Fury will face former titlist Anthony Joshua in December.