By Barry Holbrook: #1 WBO Joe Joyce believes IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has little interest in facing him. The unbeaten Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) predicts that Usyk will soon vacate his WBO title rather than defend it against him.
With Usyk expected to fight WBC champion Tyson Fury in the first quarter of next year, the chances are high that he won’t be a champion any longer beyond that clash.
So instead of Joyce worrying about Usyk avoiding him or vacating his WBO title, it’ll be Fury that will be the guy in the hot seat with the responsibility of needing to defend that strap or not.
Joyce, 37, captured the interim WBO title last September with an 11th round knockout win over Joseph Parker. The victory put Joyce in a position to challenge Usyk – or whoever holds the WBO title – next year.
When Joyce was an amateur, he lost to Usyk by a five round decision many years ago when he was much lighter at 230 lbs and not the fighter he is today.
Usyk has already made known that he only wants to fight three more times against Fury, Canelo Alvarez, and a farewell fight in Ukraine.
Usyk’s retirement fight in his home country will likely be against a non-threatening opponent that lacks the ability to beat him. It’s safe to say that Usyk won’t select a live body like Joyce as his opponent because of the risk that he would pose to him.
“Ideally, I would like to fight Usyk,” said Joe Joyce to the Metro. “But it seems he is now looking elsewhere, considering moving back to cruiserweight or wanting to fight Fury – but it doesn’t look like that is on the table at the moment. Usyk could vacate, and then I would be elevated.
“I think he’s probably going to vacate. He doesn’t want that smoke. He has also been at it a long time,” said Joyce.
If Usyk beats Fury in February or March, he probably will vacate his WBO title if the organization attempts to order him to defend against Joyce. Again, the chances of Usyk still holding the WBO belt after facing Fury are low.
“Hundreds of amateur bouts over the years, and he will have earned very decent money for his last two fights. I don’t know, does he really want to take on The Juggernaut?” said Joyce.
