Joe Joyce And His World Title Hopes Face Last-Chance Fight Against Derek Chisora
Joe Joyce knows better than anyone the difference one year can make in boxing.
The British heavyweight appeared to be on a linear path towards world title opportunities having carved his way through the rankings. However, after two crushing knockout defeats last year, the man who calls himself ‘The Juggernaut’ faces an uncertain future.
Instead of going toe-to-toe with the likes of Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, and Anthony Joshua, Joyce (16-2-0 15 KO) faces a pivotal fight against domestic rival Derek Chisora (34-13-0 23 KO) on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Win – and win well – and he might just reboot his career and get himself back on the path to challenging for heavyweight glory. Lose and it’s extremely difficult to envision a route back to the top table of the division.
Granted, Chisora is by no means the fighter he once was. The 40-year-old Londoner, a former European champion, has twice fought for world titles and gave then WBC heavyweight champion Vitaly Klitschko a decent test. But that was more than 12 years ago and he’s taken some quite severe punishment in that time.
Chisora A Must-Beat Opponent
That said, Chisora is one of the most enigmatic figures in boxing, and while he has mellowed a little with age, he has generally produced his best performances on the biggest occasions. Not only was that the case against Klitschko but also in his twin bouts against both Dillian Whyte and Joseph Parker (Chisora lost all four but was competitive right to the end).
This fight with Joyce – a classic all-British heavyweight showdown between two Londoners in their hometown – is as big as it comes for Chisora nowadays, so he will be determined to put on a show in what will likely be his final headline bout of a major card.
It provides an interesting sort of dynamic whereby Chisora fights with nothing to lose while Joyce enters the ring with everything to lose.
For the Juggernaut in particular, this is not where he would have pictured his career going when he was the unbeaten WBO interim heavyweight champion less than 16 months ago.
Joyce was 15-0 and had claimed statement wins over Daniel Dubois, Carlos Takam, and Joseph Parker – all by stoppage. He may have been slow and cumbersome, but he possessed a granite chin, fine fundamentals thanks to his stellar amateur career, and gradual knockout power that wore opponents down through punch volume.
Joyce Career Set Back By Zhang
Then came his fateful showdown with Chinese fighter Zhilei Zhang in April 2023. In the first defense of his interim title and with a world title shot within grasp, Joyce was spectacularly knocked out by Zhang in the sixth round.
Desperate to right the wrong and snatch back his belt, Joyce ordered the immediate rematch. Except this time, five months later, Zhang crushed him even earlier, stopping the former Olympic silver medallist in the third.
And just like that, Joyce’s journey towards world title shots went crashing off the tracks. He made his return to the ring in March with a laboured final-round knockout of Kash Ali in the more modest setting of a resort park in Birmingham, England.
Now back under the bright lights of a major venue, Joyce has one last chance to return to the top table of the heavyweight division. At 38 years old, time is running out, and even though he’s only fought 18 times and won’t be as weathered as most fighters approaching their 40s, the successive knockout losses to Zhang would have left their mark.
Should he get past Chisora, Joyce has one target in mind. “Hopefully, Dubois will knock him out, and then I can fight him – the end,” Joyce said when asked about September’s heavyweight showdown between Dubois and Joshua at Wembley Stadium.
Joyce Wants Dubois Rematch
“I’ll get a rematch, beat Daniel again, and get the title. Yes, I think he can knock out Joshua, but they both can hit. I’d like to see who will be the winner, probably the best man will win. Dubois is a great fighter, he’s doing his thing.”
Joyce targeting a rematch with Dubois highlights how perilous a fighter’s career can be, but also how opportunities can arise even after defeats. Dubois faced a career crossroads after his loss to Joyce in November 2020, with several critics rounding on him and accusing him of quitting for taking a knee.
As it transpired, Dubois had suffered a fractured eye socket, but he soon rebuilt his career and earned a shot at unified world champion Usyk. He took a ninth-round loss in Poland in August 2023, but came back again, and two fights later, Dubois claimed the IBF’s interim title with a career-best, eighth-round win over unbeaten Croatian Filip Hrgovic.
Dubois has since been elevated to full champion after Usyk vacated the belt ahead of his rematch with Fury in December, and Dynamite will now headline the biggest show in British boxing this year.
Joyce can therefore take plenty of hope and inspiration from Dubois’ career path, aware that all it takes is one or two impressive performances to get right back in contention. To get there, though, he has to beat Chisora.
