Joe Joyce has come out on social media to say he wants a fight with Anthony Joshua – and that he’d be willing to step in for Tyson Fury and give British fans a domestic December dust up.
Joyce took to his Twitter account to call for a meeting with AJ, saying he’d be ready for a meeting on December 17th if Joshua and Fury fail to come to an agreement for a fight on December 3rd.
If Fury and AJ aren’t fighting then I’ll step in. December 3rd is tight for me @Tyson_Fury, but @EddieHearn you can give your new best mate @frankwarren_tv a call and I’ll take the 17th slot with AJ.
Easy fight to make!
☎️ #THEJUGGERNAUT 👊🏾 https://t.co/GKK91DrCHQ— Joe Joyce (@JoeJoyceBoxing) October 1, 2022
Most expected Joyce to take a lay off from the ring until at least earlier 2023, having just gone through an 11 round war with Joseph Parker last week, culminating in ‘The Juggernaut’ stopping the brave but ultimately outgunned New Zealander.
However, although Joyce conceded December 3rd would be a tad too sharp for him, it appears he would be willing to get back in the ring a fortnight later.
A fight between Joyce and Joshua would be a fantastic consolation prize for the British public if talks between AJ and Fury do indeed fall through. It would also be a fight that, in the eyes of many, is closer to a 50/50, with bookmakers currently unable to split the pair in a hypothetical match up.
Like a fight between Fury and Joshua, Joyce vs AJ would depend on significant promotional and broadcasting barriers being overcome. So it is perhaps best to take Joyce’s tweet with a slight pinch of salt.
As for Fury vs AJ, the public remain in the dark as to where negotiations truly stand, with different parties giving conflicting updates almost on a daily basis. Frank Warren recently put the onus on Joshua to demand his team make the fight, whilst Eddie Hearn simultaneously accused Fury of “bluffing” everyone and not really wanting the fight.