AO Arena: Manchester, England
In this day of heavyweight boxing’s resurgence most matchups of highly ranked fighters draws tons of attention. Not so much the case here with Joseph Parker and Joe Joyce. But, it turned out to be a better fight than predicted. A rim rocking left hook upstairs at the 1:03 mark in the 11th-round crumbled Parker in the corner. Thus, Joe Joyce claims some gold as the WBO interim heavyweight champion.
Both fighters needed to stay behind their jabs. And at times both did. However, it was “Juggernaut” that just kept coming forward thanks to a better than rated concrete chin. In an arguably close fight thanks to Parker’s heart, and a bit of a second wind; Joyce was up 6-4. In the 9th and 10th it’s hard to tell if Parker’s rise came from him, or Joyce stepping off the gas.
The real key to victory was Joyce digging the body and non-stop pressure. And when Parker tried to get a second to breathe, Joyce was cutting the ring off. Now at 15-0 and 14 knockouts he will start drawing attention to himself. He does have some holes that need to be smoothed out quickly. He’s a plodder and with Frank Warren saying he’ll get a shot at the full WBO strap next year it must be addressed. The true upper echelon heavyweights will have a field day with him.
While 14 KO’s are nice, he doesn’t have one-hitter quitter power. Where he gets his is what he did to Parker. Wear down his opponents and then a crisp good night shot.
Joe Joyce Claims Some Gold; So Who Gets Him Next
With some fighters booked, and with Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury futures up in the air there’s slim pickings. Although there are two specific names that would be interesting matches for the first-quarter of 2023. Even though one is a real long shot.
Andy Ruiz Jr. would be the perfect opponent. He has the hand speed and the output to match Joyce. And when focused he’s a much better defensive fighter. He doesn’t get walked down let alone get trapped along the ropes too often. But it appears as if the PBC will finally be pushing him and Deontay Wilder early next year. So he’s out.
The other is Filip Hrgovic. The 30-year old Croatian bomber is a detail oriented fighter. Although he has yet to be tested as a pro, he can be the bridge to the next level for Joyce. And a huge key is that he’s repped by Eddie Hearn. And Warren and Hearn work easily together.
If you think that Joyce’s next fight will be Usyk, or Fury for that matter; there’s some bridge’s for sale you can purchase. There’s far too much money in other fights for them. So it might just be one that is least expected.
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