Former WBO interim heavyweight champion Joe Joyce weighed in at a whopping, career-high 286.8 lbs on Friday at the weigh-in for his ten-round contest against Kash Ali this Saturday, March 16th, at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England and live on ESPN+. Kash weighed in at 238.1.
Joyce’s weight surprised fans, who had expected him to be slim and in shape for his bounce-back fight. The ‘Juggernaut’ looks like he’s been eating high on the hog in the last six months, eating away his sorrows.
A Cause for Alarm
Joyce’s high weight is a concern, as it was thought that he would come into his fight against Kash (21-2, 12 KOs) in tip-top shape after losing his last two bouts against Zhilei Zhang. The weight is a red flag that all is not well with Joyce, leaving some to wonder if he’s complacent.
Despite losing his last two fights, Joyce has made some good money during his seven-year professional career, with a reported net worth of $4 million.
When you have that kind of dough stowed away in the bank, it’s understandable why there wouldn’t be as much concern for Joyce to train like a demon for this fight as it would for another fighter with an empty bank account coming off consecutive losses.
The 38-year-old Joyce (15-2, 14 KOs) looked soft as if he had been eating well since his last fight in September against Zhang. Is ‘The Juggernaut’ Joyce lost his motivation to train hard since losing his second fight against Zhang or is he just taking Kash lightly?
Where to Watch
Joyce vs. Kash will be shown on ESPN+ this Saturday, March 16th. The event begins at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT.
“He was going on about that I’m going to get my chin checked, and he’s going to end my career and whatnot. So that what you will,” said Joe Joyce to Queensberry Promotions on X about his opponent, Kash Ali,’ for Saturday night on ESPN+ from Birmingham, England.
“Look at his face and look at my unphased face. Yeah, I have to perform,” Joyce continued. “It’s a decent enough fighter, so I have to be careful.”
If Joyce fails to win or look impressive against Kash on Saturday, it could be all over for him. This is an easy mark for Joyce, and he should be able to trounce this guy with no problems, even looking as fat as a hog like he does now.
