By Charles Brun: Joe ‘The Juggernaut’ Joyce believes he’s got the ability to defeat newly crowned IBF/WBA/WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk when or if that fight happens.
Joyce (13-0, 12 KOs) is the mandatory challenger for the WBO belt, and he’s waiting for the World Boxing Organization to order the fight.
The 36-year-old Joyce has a pipe dream of getting a title shot against Usyk and beating him to become a three-belt champion. Unfortunately, the odds of the painfully slow Joyce realizing his dream are slim and none.
‘The Juggernaut’ Joyce’s hand speed is too slow, and the only thing he has is his jab, which is quite good but not likely enough for him to beat the fleet-footed Usyk.
Usyk already beat Joyce in 2013
The 2012 Olympic gold medalist Usyk already schooled Joyce in a one-sided five round decision in 2013 in the World Series of Boxing.
Given how hopefully overmatched the big 6’6″ Joyce looked in that contest, it’s hard to see him doing better against Usyk eight years later in 2021.
Despite being around the same age as Joyce, Usyk has accomplished much more with his pro career.
“I say maybe Usyk,” Joe Joyce said The Sun. “I think AJ suits Usyk more than my style. I’m a hard style for Usyk to fight.
“I’d throw more shots, and I’d have to have a nice training camp with Ismael Salas again and work out the game plan to beat this guy. It’s a fight that I can win.”
Usyk became the undisputed cruiserweight champion last weekend, dethroning IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua to become a two-division world champ.
In comparison, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist Joyce’s career has moved at a snail’s pace, with him slowly moving up the ranks.
Joyce recently became the WBO mandatory, but it could be another year before he’s given a chance to fight for a world title.
In the meantime, Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) will face Joshua in a rematch early next year.
The chances are high that Usyk will beat Joshua a second time and send him into early retirement, much to promoter Eddie Hearn’s disappointment.
Hopefully, Joyce doesn’t lose his WBO mandatory position while waiting for his title shot against Usyk.
I doubt that’ll happen, though, because Joyce’s promoter will likely play it safe with him now that he’s the mandatory for the WBO belt.
Joyce thinks he could wear Usyk down
In Joyce’s last fight, he stopped 40-year-old Carlos Takam in the sixth round last July. Takam had recently been beaten by journeyman Derek Chisora.
With match-making like that being done on Joyce’s behalf, you can see that his promoters are going to put him in with any live bodies to risk him losing and ruining his chance to fight for the WBO strap.
“I thought I was doing well in the first fight,” said Joyce about his fight with Usyk in 2013 .”I reckon if it had gone a couple more rounds, I would have started to come out on top.
“I’d have more rounds if I fought him this time around, plus I’m a lot more experienced, so I know how to fight southpaws,” said Joyce about his belief that he can beat Usyk.
It’s doubtful that Joyce will do any better against Usyk in 2022 than he did in 2013. Joyce’s lack of hand speed will be his downfall against Usyk, and he’ll wind up losing by a lopsided decision.
Joyce recently pulled off a big win in stopping favorite Daniel Dubois by a 10th round knockout last November. However, Dubois was only 23 at the time and had no head movement.
As such, Joyce was able to wear Dubois down with his jab until he quit on a knee in the 10th round due to an eye injury.
Joyce won’t be able to land that same jab against Usyk because he moves his head, and he’s not going to stand there like a bump on a log letting Joyce hit him the way Dubois did.