Joe Joyce isn’t getting any younger. None of us are. But when you are in the heavyweight division in boxing, there is a ticking clock involved in how to accomplish your hopes and dreams. Joyce, a British fighter and former Olympic silver medal winner, will feel the pressure to perform well against countryman Derek Chisora this weekend at 02 Arena. Joyce started his professional career late because of his Olympic ambitions.

Once Joyce earned a silver medal at the 2016 games, he joined the professional circuit a year later. Since then, Joyce has been on a rollercoaster, which has ranked him toward the bottom half of the top 10 ranked heavyweights in the world. Joyce’s momentum smashed head-first into the wall in 2023.

After winning his first 15 professional fights, Joyce celebrated his first major accomplishment by knocking out Joseph Parker to win the WBO interim heavyweight title in September 2022. But Joyce’s attempts to defend the belt were disastrous.

Zhang Stops Joyce’s Momentum

Zhilei Zhang knocked out Joyce in the sixth round in April 2023. When the two rematched five months later, Zhang produced the same result, but it took him three rounds less. Joyce beat unheralded contender Kash Ali via a 10th-round KO in March of this year, but online boxing news shows he will need a few more solid results to rebuild people’s confidence in him.

Chisora, 40, has seen his activity slow down significantly over the past few years. While Joyce has only fought 17 times professionally, Chisora has stepped into the ring 47 times. Chisora only fought once in 2023 and twice in 2022.

Chisora’s last major fight was a 10th-round TKO loss to Tyson Fury in 2022 for the WBC heavyweight title. This will be a significant challenge for Chisora, who is attempting to remain relevant in the heavyweight picture. Chisora may not have too many fights left under his belt. If Chisora could spring an upset here, it would go a long way toward earning him some other strong opportunities.

Here’s a look at what could happen in the main event and how some preliminary fights will go down.

Is Joyce Worth the Price?

Joyce has been bet up to -475 on the moneyline early in the week. While that number may slip or rise slightly, Joyce is a deserving favorite to bring home a win in this matchup. During Joyce’s career, he has been much more reliant on utilizing his power to punish his opponents.

Joyce has picked up 15 of his 16 career wins by knockout. One disadvantage Joyce has is his relative lack of experience against top competition. During Chisora’s career, he has been in the ring with Oleksandr Usyk, Joseph Parker, Dillian Whyte, Vitali Klitschko, and other top heavyweights.

Joyce likely won’t be able to intimidate Chisora. However, Chisora’s inactivity and wear-and-tear on his body will make this a tough matchup. There is a chance this one could go the distance because Chisora has a good chin.

However, Joyce will want to make a big splash in this fight. While Chisora is just outside the top 20 in many people’s rankings, this would still be a good win for Joyce’s resume, according to heavyweight boxing news.

Bets to consider: Under 7.5 rounds, Joyce by KO/TKO/DQ

McCann Plans to Defend European Super Bantamweight Crown

Dennis McCann has one blemish on his professional boxing record. It isn’t from a loss, either. When McCann first fought his opponent for this weekend, Romanian Ionut Baluta, an accidental clash of heads forced a stoppage to the fight in the ninth round. That prevented someone from claiming the vacant WBO Inter-Continental and British super-bantamweight titles.

McCann was able to get another fight scheduled this March before the two men could agree to a rematch. During a battle with Brad Strand at Resorts World Arena, McCann won by unanimous decision to grab the belt. The boxing news latest headlines show there is pressure on McCann to produce a good result in this fight.

Baluta has been in a number of wars during his career. While Baluta has a few more losses than other prospects may have, he is 16-4-1 and has shown remarkable toughness. McCann will need to bring his best effort if he wants to regain his title.

McCann is a -300 favorite to win this fight. Baluta is +250, while the fight is +1800 to end in a draw. Baluta was aggressive during the first fight and should give McCann a run for his money. It’s tempting to play the underdog in this fight.

Bets to consider: McCann by decision, Over 8.5 rounds

Garner Hopes to Continue Hot Start to Career

Ryan Garner survived struggles with drug problems during the early part of his career. Despite having an accident where he crashed his car after doing cocaine, Garner was able to get himself back together. He racked up a 15-0 start to his career and won eight of those fights by KO.

Garner claimed the vacant WBC International Super Featherweight championship in August 2023 when he beat Juan Jesús Antúnez. A win in this fight against Archie Sharp this weekend would be Garner’s second title defense.

Sharp has a lot more professional experience under his belt than Garner does. He has nine knockouts and a 25-0 career record. However, Sharp doesn’t seem to have fought too high a level of competition during his career.

Garner should find a way to defend his title and pick up the win comfortably.

Bets to consider: Fight to go the distance, Garner by decision

Here are the other fights on the card not mentioned above:

• Women’s featherweight, Raven Chapman vs. Yohana Sarabia
• Heavyweight Moses Itauma vs. Mariusz Wach
• Welterweight, Sean Noakes vs. Inder Bassi
• Super featherweight, Royston Barney-Smith vs. Brian Barajas
• Lightweight, Jermaine Dhliwayo vs. Engel Gomez

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.