Heavyweight contender Joe Joyce has had to rearrange his training regime, having been unable to work with trainer Ismael Salas due to the complications of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Joyce (10-0, 9 KOs) now has two fights scheduled with a newly-announced 10-rounder with German Michael Wallisch (20-3, 13 KOs) on July 25 serving as a tune-up for his heavyweight confrontation with Daniel Dubois at the O2 Arena on October 24. Rival Dubois will prepare for that encounter with an August 29 date against Hamburg’s Erik Pfeifer (7-0, 5 KOs)
Joyce, 34, began training with the respected Salas in Las Vegas earlier this year until the intervention of the Coronavirus. Steve Broughton has since been drafted in to prepare Joyce for Wallisch, but the Putney man expects to be reunited with Salas next month as the focus switches to Dubois (14-0, 13 KOs).
“I can’t get Ismael into the country for this fight because of coronavirus, but I have Steve Broughton looking after me,” said Joyce.
“After the Wallisch fight, I am hoping to be able to go to Las Vegas to train with Salas or get him over here to prepare me for Dubois.
“If we can go to the Vegas next month, I will only ever be in the gym or at the house so the environment will be enclosed.”
Wallisch, 34, hasn’t boxed since last September when he was halted by Tony Yoka, the Frenchman who controversially pipped Joyce for Olympic Gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“It will be good to shake off the ring rust, get back in there and actually box,” said Joyce who last fought against Bryant Jennings in July.
“Wallisch is good boxer. He has a European style with a high guard and he comes in throwing punches, body shots and head shots.
“It is a good, hard fight. It wasn’t too long ago he was highly ranked so this is a chance for him to get back in the picture.
“There is a bit more pressure on with Dubois in October. I just have to avoid injury, make sure I look good against Wallisch, get myself back into the flow of things and go into the Dubois fight in the best shape possible.”