Trainer Teddy Atlas has summed up what it would be like if heavyweights Joe Joyce and Deontay Wilder met in the ring – and it’s hard to argue with.
Joe Joyce has some buzz about him in the division just now, and rightly so. He’s fresh off a very impressive knockout victory over Joseph Parker, becoming the first man to stop the New Zealander inside the distance. While his power was on point, many see his most impressive attribute as his unbelievable ability to take punch after punch and stay standing.
Perhaps the ultimate chin test in the division is ‘The Bronze Bomber’, Deontay Wilder. 41 of the former champion’s 42 wins have been by knockout. Some have called him the hardest hitter in the history of the sport.
So what would it be like should Wilder’s unstoppable force meet Joyce’s immovable object? Atlas sums it up well on his podcast, THE FIGHT.
“If we saw Joyce with Wilder it would be like the old days when they used to do nuclear hydrogen bomb testing underground in Nevada … They used to light them off underneath the ground and do nuclear testing. That’s what this would be – nothing left at the end but a mushroom cloud, and maybe a thud.”
“If Wilder couldn’t catch him first and hurt him, which is possible, and hurt him first, Joyce would wind up walking into him and what it would be would be.”
The best thing about the discussion for boxing fans is that the fight isn’t a fantasy match up or one that’s come too late. Both men are competing at the highest level in the sport’s premier division and, if we take them for their words, want to fight all comers.
Whilst Joyce rests and recuperates after his 11 rounds with Parker, Wilder has a tough test in Robert Helenius on October 15. Should the American come through that, and neither man is offered a title shot immediately, then there are match ups that make much less sense than this one.
Just remember what Atlas said, and cover your ears when the bombs start going off…