Joyce says bookies are 'mad' and promises that Dubois cannot knock him out
After multiple postponements, due to the global coronavirus pandemic, Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce, two of British heavyweight boxing’s hottest prospects, will finally go toe-to-toe in the ring. Both of the Londoners boast unbeaten records, so there is a lot on the line at this stage of their careers.
Joyce, who has 12 years on his 23-year-old opponent, was a silver medallist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and didn’t turn professional until 2017, when he was the ripe age of 32. However, he has won all 11 of his bouts to date, beating 10 of his opponents via knockout.
Dubois, on the other hand, skipped much of his amateur career, including dropping out of the Team GB squad to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, in favour of turning pro. In just three years, Triple D has already fought 15 times, knocking out 14 of his opponents to date, and is being compared with the likes of Iron Mike Tyson and his former sparring partner Anthony Joshua.
Much to the disbelief of ‘Juggernaut’ Joyce, his 23-year-old opposite is the heavy odds-on favourite in the latest Daniel Dubois vs Joe Joyce odds.
Speaking to the Sportsman recently, the 35-year-old claimed that ‘it’s mad’ that the bookmakers have Dubois as the market leader, before going on to explain how he sees the fight panning out.
“It’s mad,” Joyce tells the Sportsman. “The bookies have him winning the fight, so I’m the underdog, and whatever happens is a bonus because apparently I’m going to get knocked out!
“I’ve got my engine, punch variety and punch output, I’ve got a good chin and can go into the later rounds, whereas he is a strong puncher, explosive, and he’s good for the fundamentals and the earlier rounds.
“I predict he will be trying to knock me out but he won’t manage to do that; it will get to the later rounds and then I’ll knock him out,” he added.
Depending on the ongoing negotiations between Joshua and Tyson Fury, which is believed to be verbally agreed for next year, a world title fight against Oleksandr Usyk for the WBO title could await the winner of Dubois vs Joyce.
Should AJ and the Gypsy King agree terms for the all-British bout, the former would have to vacate his WBO belt, leaving the door open for the Ukrainian, who is the mandatory challenger, to take on either Triple D or the Juggernaut – which promoter Frank Warren claims he would make ‘in a heartbeat’.
And Joyce is keen to avenge his semi-pro defeat to Usyk, when he lost to the Ukrainian in the World Series of Boxing back in 2013.
“Of course I want that Usyk fight, I want revenge for our fight in the World Boxing Series and doing it for the WBO heavyweight title would be the icing on the cake,” the Juggernaut said.
“That is what I am in boxing for.
“It would be a great fight and I would be much better prepared for it next time around.”