By Brian Webber: Joe Joyce has volunteered his name to battle Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) next on December 17th if he fails to fight Tyson Fury next on December 3rd.
Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) admits that it’s too early of a date for him to fight Fury on December 3rd, given that he’s coming off a tough fight against Joseph Parker, but he’s willing to step in and face Joshua on December 17th.
Joyce says he wants AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn to contact his management at Frank Warren to begin the negotiation process if he’s interested in making that fight.
It would take a lot of courage on Joshua’s part to face Joyce because his game is all wrong for him. The ‘Juggernaut’ Joyce’s superior engine, power, punch resistance, and high work rate would be a real problem for Joshua.
Hearn would likely drag his heels over letting Joshua mix it up with Joyce because he’s got to know the end result of a fight between them.
“If Fury and AJ aren’t fighting then I’ll step in. December 3rd is tight for me @Tyson_Fury, but @EddieHearn
you can give your new best mate @frankwarren_tv a call, and I’ll take the 17th slot with AJ.
Easy fight to make!
☎️
#THEJUGGERNAUT 👊🏾” said Joe Joyce on Twitter.
Hearn has done a good job of carefully leading Joshua this far in his career to make him a two-time world champion. But his last two fights against Oleksandr Usyk have shown Hearn’s limitations as a promoter. He can only protect Joshua so much.
Interestingly, Joyce didn’t include Fury as someone that he’d be willing to fight in December because if he’d done that, it would have put pressure on the ‘Gyspy King’ to show how brave he is. Fury talks a good game, but he’d be up against it fighting the 6’6″ Joyce, who would disarm what he’s effective at.
Fury has been transformed by his American trainer Sugarhill Steward into a leaner, grappler, and roughhouse fighter that throws rabbit punches. That style wouldn’t be as effective against Joyce as it was in his last two fights against Deontay Wilder, who had no answer for it.
Joyce would have an excellent chance of defeating Fury, and it would be an exciting match for as long as it lasts.
