Joe Joyce knew what he was signing up for when he pushed to reschedule a fight with Joseph Parker.
The pair were once in the game for July 2, only to fall apart when Parker walked away just before signing a fight agreement after verbally agreeing to terms. He was put back into the mix at Joyce’s insistence to remain active against the toughest opponent available while awaiting his status as the mandatory challenger to the WBO heavyweight title. Both will now meet on September 24 at the AO Arena in Manchester, England.
Parker (30-2, 21KOs) is a former WBO heavyweight champion who is currently riding a six-fight win streak. The 30-year-old New Zealander is by far the most established opponent Joyce (14-0, 13KOs) will face up to this point in his career, precisely the challenge he was looking for as he awaited his first big title shot.
“He’s been to the top of the mountain,” Joyce told iD Boxing’s Rob Tebbutt of Parker. “He is the former WBO world champion. He is very skilled and has been in the game for a long time. He is going to be the most complete, he has a little bit of everything. He is very skilled. He can hit a bit. He can take a shot. It’s going to be a tough fight.”
Joyce has been the WBO’s number one contender since Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13KOs) dethroned Anthony Joshua to claim the unified WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO heavyweight crown on September 24. Usyk scored a repeat victory on August 20 in Saudi Arabia, the contractually imposed rematch by Joshua and also with Joyce patiently waiting for the winner.
The 36-year-old Londoner has faced the reality that his shot at the crown won’t come until the first quarter of 2023 at the earliest. The wait could be even longer if the sport first gets an undisputed championship matchup between Usyk and lineal/WBC champion Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23KOs).
Joyce is doing her part to stay active. He most recently returned to the ring on July 2, scoring a fourth-round knockout of the normally durable Christian Hammer. The fight was his first in almost a year, the extended layoff was spent recovering from injuries as he is now back at full strength.
It said a lot that Joyce was willing to face Parker after a 49-week layoff. It’s equally impressive that she still wants to go ahead with the crossroads matchup with a title shot looming, even with her fight coming with a rematch clause.
“It’s smart business. It’s a risky fight,” admitted Joyce, who also owns knockout victories over current WBA secondary champion Daniel Dubois and former title challenger Carlos Takam. “I am the mandatory for the WBO title. He could have waited while fighting someone else who is not at that level. Just an easy fight until I get my chance early next year.
“I want to be prepared and also entertain the fans. It’s number one versus number two. I keep insisting on that and I’m looking forward to it.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
