Could Joe Joyce ever realistically become a world champion?
There’s flying under the radar in life and then there’s Joe Joyce. The London-born boxer is slowly carving out a formidable record for himself while the boxing world focuses on the headline names of the sport like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. But in the blink of an eye, Joyce could do the unthinkable and become the WBO heavyweight champion.
It’s easy to laugh that off but instead, have a look for yourself at the latest boxing betting markets for upcoming fights and you’ll see Anthony Joshua at short odds of just 1/3 to win his next fight. Now, should he do that, then Joyce and Joshua will go head to head in an all-British showdown for the heavyweight championship of the world. Of course, there may well be efforts made for Joshua to fight Fury instead, but Joyce will be the mandatory challenger and in all likelihood, the powers that be of world boxing will step in and demand Joshua fight Joyce should that be the case.
@SkySports: "So it would be one hell of a fight, if he wants it? Joe Joyce is ready to risk his unbreakable aura against Anthony Joshua – and doesn't care if you question his brutal methods for heavyweight domination"
So, by now, you could well be wondering how has this all happened, and perhaps there is even an outside chance that you don’t even know who Joe Joyce is. Well, let’s take a quick step back in time before discussing Joyce’s world title credentials.
Looking back, staring out at 32 meant that there were very few people talking about how far Joyce would go, and even the fact that he was a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics went somewhat under the radar. With that said, there have been few careers that have been as satisfying to watch as Joe Joyce’s given how tidy it has been up until this stage. Indeed, the 36-year-old has only fought a mere 13 times since turning professional in 2017 but has gone on to record 12 wins by way of KO. But was it meant to be this successful?
If anything, it appeared that Joyce’s foray into the world of boxing was primarily centred around being a sacrificial lamb to younger and more exciting fighters. He would earn a bit of money along the way but his real job was to act as a stepping stone for the next generation in order to build up an undefeated record.
That is at least what everyone thought when he was asked to fight Daniel Dubois in 2020. The 24-year-old was dubbed as the next big thing in the heavyweight industry but during the tenth round of their fight, Joyce hit Dubois so hard that he suffered a broken orbital socket and nerve damage to his left eye. The young heavyweight subsequently took a knee in the ring and was counted out. You can only conclude that it was the right decision given that Dubois could have suffered permanent damage to his eyesight had he carried on.
@BTSportBoxing: "Daniel Dubois takes a knee and is unable to get back up. Joe Joyce is one of the toughest men on this planet. What a win!"
Nevertheless, Joyce marched on and now a year later finds himself in the extraordinary position of being the next challenger to Anthony Joshua’s belts. So, could he beat the Watford-born heavyweight sensation?
Joyce adopts an orthodox boxing style but it should be said that he isn’t the quickest to have ever graced the ring. He does, however, have a steel chin and when he hits his opponent, they, if you will, stay hit. The answer, in this case, has to be yes, Joe Joyce can do the impossible by becoming a world heavyweight champion. It will undoubtedly be one of the greatest stories in boxing if it does happen.