Former two-weight world champion, Carl Frampton, believes one man in the sport’s top division will be avoided by all others until they ‘have to fight him.’
As the heavyweight scene heats up and title shots are demanded, fans are calling for fights that have been brewing for years to finally get made.
One man right in the mix of it all is Joe Joyce. Known as ‘The Juggernaut’, he has 14 stoppages from 15 wins, and provides a tough night for absolutely anybody.
Joyce is held in high regard for his relentless attacks, seemingly endless gas tank and a chin that has taken everything thrown at it so far.
Frampton told Boxing Social that he believes nobody will jump at the chance to step in the ring with him.
“I think that Joe Joyce is a dangerous fight for anybody. I believe that Joe Joyce is the man that nobody wants to fight in the division. I think that you only fight Joe unless you’re being really well paid and you have to fight him.
Why? Because Joyce, he says, can beat them all.
“I think he could beat them all and that includes Fury and Usyk. I genuinely believe that. Not saying he definitely will. The top two in the division are set – Fury and Usyk – we know that. I think Joe’s probably the only that can beat them.”
I’m saying he’s one of the only guys that has a change to beat [Fury] – will he beat him? That’s a different question.”
Joyce returns to action tonight against China’s Zhilei Zhang – a hard-hitting southpaw who will provide a dangerous but worthwhile test should the Brit want to move onto the tricky operators, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.