With Joe Joyce now breathing down the neck of Oleksandr Usyk for a fight in 2023, their battle in the amateur ranks has once again become a hot topic of discussion, with footage of the bout circulating online.
The two squared off in the World Series of Boxing tournament and, despite pockets of success for ‘The Juggernaut,’ Usyk emerged as a clear points winner on that occasion.
That, however, was almost a decade ago and Joyce has said in recent interviews that the improvements he’s made under Ismael Salas, coupled with the lighter gloves and longer format of the pro game, would lead to a different outcome should he lock horns with Usyk again.
The Ukranian will have no option but to either face Joyce at some point or vacate his WBO world title, after Joyce won the interim belt in stunning fashion this past weekend when he stopped Joseph Parker in the 11th round of a gruelling fight in Manchester.
Usyk, however, is said to be angling towards an undisputed clash with Tyson Fury in the early part of next year. So it appears Joyce may have to wait for his chance to exert his revenge from those amateur days.
After becoming the first man to ever stop Joseph Parker, Joyce’s name has been mentioned amongst all the other elite heavyweights of this era over the past few days, with potential all British dust ups with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua also hot on the lips of domestic boxing fans.