Joe Joyce is high in demand from fans and media right now – but following his latest showing against Joseph Parker, he may not be popular with other heavyweights when it comes to picking an opponent.
‘The Juggernaut’s performance of power, stamina and durability put the division on notice, and ever since he’s been fielding questions about how he would fare against other top fighters.
Asked by IFL TV about facing former-champion and British superstar, Anthony Joshua, Joyce was confident in his abilities.
“He gets knocked out. He gets bashed up. His last performances haven’t really impressed me. I think his second fight against Usyk was better, but that would be an interesting fight and I’d love to get some revenge.”
The revenge he’s referring to could mean many things. ‘AJ’ beat Joyce via a first round stoppage at the 2011 English National Championship London Area Preliminaries when the pair were amateurs.
Another reason Joyce might be motivated to beat Joshua is the recent animosity between their camps, with sparring footage leaks and big words exchanged. It’s an unlikely rivalry given that the two fighters are generally known for their peaceful and polite fight build ups.
Later in the interview, Joyce is asked to compare his latest victory over Parker to Joshua’s back in 2018.
“Well I knocked him out, [didn’t I]? I punched him up and got him out of there, with all due respect [to] Parker.”
Joshua took the victory via points when he faced the New Zealander. In fact, on Saturday night Joyce became the first man to stop Parker – a KO which came from a beautifully timed left hook in the eleventh round after plenty of punishment.
‘The Juggernaut’ will now rest before taking on another big challenge and making his way ever closer to a title shot.
As for Joshua, it seems that a fight with Tyson Fury has fallen through and he is now in need of an opponent. Should the timing be right, maybe it won’t be long until Joyce gets a chance at that revenge. There’s a lot to sell there – both Brits, both Olympians, and now it has that added bit of animosity that fans of the sport love.