“Usyk can maybe knock Joshua out”

By Charles Brun: Joe Joyce believes Oleksandr Usyk could knock out Anthony Joshua in their rematch on August 20th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Joyce says IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) isn’t going to eat a bunch of Snickers bars and come into the rematch with Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) the way that Andy Ruiz Jr. did in giving away his three titles to AJ in their rematch in December 2019.

If Joshua is going to win the rematch with Usyk, he’s going to need to do it without him being handicapped by eating himself into a state of obesity the way Ruiz Jr did.

Joshua has hired a new coach in Robert Garcia, but Joyce wonders how much of a positive impact the pairing of the two can have in one training camp.

Joshua has a lot to learn in a short period, and the things that Garcia will be teaching him might not stick in his gray matter.

AJ’s main problems, poor stamina and a weak chin, are permanent and unchangeable. In other words, the hire of Robert is a complete waste of time because AJ’s most dire problems are things that he can’t fix.

Joyce (13-0, 12 KO will be coming off a 12-month layoff next month when he faces 34-year-old journeyman Christian Hammer (27-9, 17 KOs) in a 10-round fight at the Wembley Arena in London, England.

Hammer has lost five out of his last ten fights, and it makes no sense for the 2016 Olympic silver medalist to be fighting this level of opponent. Joyce is about to turn 37 years old, and he needs to be fighting much better opposition at this stage of his career.

Usyk could stop Joshua

“He comes forward. It’s going to be a good fight. He’s fought, everybody, and it’ll be interesting to see how I get on with him,” said Joe Joyce to iFL TV about his opponent Christian Hammer.

“Robert Garcia, I think he’s a good choice for him,” said Joyce about Joshua’s new coach from the U.S. “He’s like a more offensive trainer, and I think it should be a good fit.

“He’s only got a short time to work on stuff with him leading up to the rematch with Usyk. Usyk is already beaten him before, so he’ll have an advantage and know what to do it again,” said Joyce.

It’s not enough time for Joshua to get much from his new coach Garcia other than how to rough up Usyk, but that’s not a thing that will help him moving forward.  If Robert can do is teach Joshua how to rough up Usyk, he might as well have saved himself the trouble of hiring him.

“He’s not going to be like Ruiz and eat a lot of Snickers bars and put on weight,” said Joyce. “He’s gone to war apparently. Word on the street, he may have been training the whole time.

“So he’ll be in a good place coming in and he’ll know exactly what to do to beat Joshua again. It’s up to Joshua to make the fight like the first fight should have been and correct his mistakes. Can he do it?

“Usyk is a very skilled fighter, good head movement, footwork and boxing brain and very calculated how he approaches. But obviously, Joshua is the bigger man, he’s stronger, and he’s got the bigger punch.

“I think Usyk can maybe knock Joshua out. Let’s see how the fight goes. It’s an exciting fight to watch, and I’m excited to watch it,” said Joyce.

Joyce reacts to leaked sparring video

“It was a very biased sparring video of him looking good,” said Joyce when asked about the sparring video that was leaked last March of his sparring with Anthony Joshua that took place a long time ago.

“He hasn’t looked that good in a while. He’s got his new coach. He hasn’t got much time with him before the Usyk rematch.

“I don’t really care because there’s a lot of footage over the years of four or five years of sparring footage of him leading to the Olympics,” Joyce when told that it’s believed that Joshua’s team leaked the sparring footage of the two.

“Depending on what stage of the camp we’re in, sometimes I’m punching him up, and sometimes he’s punching me up. But it’s equal sparring, 50-50 sparring.

“I think mentally where Joshua is at, he’s being a bit petty. If he did have something to do with it, to leak sparring footage like that and bringing up that fight from 10-years-ago when he beat me in a round where the odds were stacked against me.

“I’ve come a long way since then and he likes being the big man, the landlord, and where I’m kind of getting up there and being a threat to him. It’s his ego. Maybe if it was him.

“Yeah, he’s very corporate, and he knows how. He sometimes waffles this talk where it sounds like he’s really philosophical and stuff. It seems very scripted, but then when he breaks character like that, then there’s something going on.

“That’s why I say his head is a bit gone and he’s biting. Even talking to them university kids. Why is he? It should be water off a duck’s back and shouldn’t affect him.  He might have to go there and intimidate them and stuff. It’s not really needed, is it?” said Joyce about Joshua.

Joe wants Fury title shot

“How I cope with him and how he copes with me,” said Joyce. “I think it’s going to be an explosive fight and one that I’m getting ready for. I can’t wait to get back in the ring really.

“It’s been ages, and sparing has gone really well. I’m ready to get back in there and show people what I’m made of.

“I’ve got a lot of attributes that would cause him a lot of trouble, so let’s hope that gets made,” said Joyce about Tyson Fury.

“From sparring him, I’m not going to give everything away,” said Joyce when asked how he would beat Fury. “He’s got decent power and skills. I’ve got Salas on my side. He’ll devise a plan to beat him.

“He’s going to have to staple me to the floor and knock me out, but it’s going to be a tough task because I’m going to be with him until the end.

“I’ve got my own skills, my endurance, my chin and I can bang as well. I think it’s going to be a great fight,” Joyce said.