How can heavyweight contender Joe Joyce make the most of his fight against Joseph Parker on Saturday at the AO Arena in Manchester, England (ESPN+)?
Be the first to stop the former New Zealand champion.
That’s Joyce’s (14-0, 13 KOs) plan in the battle to become the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO belt. The 37-year-old Londoner wants to make a statement in possibly the toughest matchup of his career.
“I’ve been leveling up here and there, taking the strategic routes with good fighters along the way,” Joyce told PA Media. “Now I am at the top of the rankings with the WBO and fighting a great fighter in Joseph Parker. It is a fight that must be won. I plan to win it and I plan to stop it, I don’t want it to go into overtime.
“It would be a statement to stop him. From that, I can potentially challenge Usyk or whoever he is. There are a lot of good fights out there.”
Joyce and Parker (30-2, 21 KOs) were expected to meet on July 2, but Parker pulled out at that point. He was replaced by veteran Christian Hammer, who fell four times and failed to make it out of the fourth round in London.
That was Joyce’s first fight in a full year. He took time off to recover from a wrist injury.
“The Hammer fight was a great setup for Parker,” he said. “I got rid of the rust on the ring, so I started running (for the current training camp). He has done better for me because I am more prepared”.
If Joyce is successful on Saturday, he believes he will be ready to face three-belt champion Usyk in his next fight.
That’s not likely to happen because Usyk has other plans.
The natural matchup for him is Tyson Fury, who holds the fourth major title. However, Fury is in talks to face Anthony Joshua in December. That news prompted Usyk to suggest that he could fight Deontay Wilder, assuming Wilder defeats Robert Helenius on Oct. 15.
Joyce isn’t worried about competing for a spot in the heavyweight division.
He feels his time will come, although he certainly likes the idea of challenging Usyk. The Ukrainian outboxed Joyce in a five-round fight at the former World Series of Boxing in 2013.
“I would love to fight Usyk, preferably after Parker,” he said. “I enjoyed the fight in the WSB even though I lost, but 12 rounds would be too much for him. It would be an exciting fight, and I would love to avenge that loss.
“But I am on my way and I am patient. Now I’m in a good place.”
Gallery
Photos: Joe Joyce knocked out Christian Hammer with four knockdowns
