British heavyweight Joe Joyce believes he would “bang out” unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk if they fought each other in the pros. The pair squared off as amateurs back in 2013 in a World Series of Boxing bout that was won on points by the Ukrainian over five rounds.
The original contest was a fairly comfortable day in the office for Usyk who won with points totals of 50-45 on all three judges’ scorecards. But now the London bomber is convinced he has the skills and the game plan to beat his former foe.
“I’ll be coming with more skills,” Joyce told Boxing Social. “I have [coach Ismael] Salas by my side to set the game plan and work on the skills etc. I didn’t even get Southpaw sparring for the first fight I had with Usyk. I think that on the repeat, styles make fights and I reckon I’ll bang him up.”
Joyce is currently undefeated as a professional at 13-0 with his most recent victory coming against Cameroonian-born French veteran Carlos Takam last July. Juggernaut is scheduled to return to the ring on July 2 at The SSE Arena in London against an undisclosed opponent.
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Providing he wins his next fight, Joyce will only strengthen his position as the WBO No 1 contender putting him in line to face the winner of Usyk and Anthony Joshua next. Weighing in on the fight, Joyce told Boxing Social during the same interview that he thinks Usyk will win the rematch.
“I thought as soon as the fight started with him and Usyk, Usyk went straight to work,” Joyce explained. “He knew how to beat Joshua and now that he’s already beaten him, to do it again will be kind of the same.
“That’s unless Joshua makes some drastic changes, which I guess he did against Ruiz and then he can say ‘three time’. But maybe it’s all part of the plan, I don’t know. It’s a big ask, but let’s see what happens. Joshua can obviously bang, he has fast hands and decent footwork. He fought the wrong fight when they fought first, he tried to outbox the boxer.
“I’ve said on multiple occasions he could have gone out there, roughed him up, walked him down, and tried to knock him out. I think that’s what he’s going to have to try and do. It’s alright saying that, but actually going in the ring with someone that skilled [is different].
“I’ve been in the ring with Usyk and I felt like I put on a better performance, actually, Chisora put on a great performance against Usyk. That was much closer than the one against Joshua. So, I think it will be a repeat unless Joshua can do something drastically different and just nail him down.”
AJ lost his WBA ‘super’, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles to Usyk back in September as he was outboxed and outpointed in front of a capacity crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Now, they are set to fight for a second time on July 23 at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia in what will no doubt be a career-defining night for both men.
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