Joyce proved himself worthy of the Usyk fight. But will it take place?

Joe Joyce gave another spectacular performance in the ring, inflicting the first early defeat to former world champion Joseph Parker and winning the interim WBO title. The British boxer once again surprised with the strength of his chin, overall endurance and incredible punching power. Joyce proved that he deserves to meet at a new level (they previously crossed paths in the boxing super series – something between amateur and professional boxing) with WBA / WBO / IBF / IBO title holder Alexander Usyk. But the likelihood that the Briton and the Ukrainian will not meet at a professional level is too high.

Is Joyce dangerous for Usyk

Judging by the fight with Parker, yes. Joyce is somewhat reminiscent of Vitali Klitschko – the same seemingly clumsy and clumsy technique from the point of view of classical boxing, but at the same time incredibly effective. The same power and strength of the chin, as well as physical strength and excellent timing. Plus, excellent stamina, as for his age. Such fighters are very inconvenient for “clean” boxers. Of course, it is possible to beat them, but it is incredibly difficult, especially if you are inferior in physical qualities.

Yes, Usyk figured out the first fight with Joshua without any problems, but then the Briton decided to “box”. In the rematch, as well as in the battle with Chisora, the Ukrainian had a harder time. Joyce, as shown by the fight with Parker, is better than Chisora ​​as a boxer, and more powerful than Joshua as a fighter (Derek and Anthony also fought the New Zealander). And this is already an explosive mixture. Yes, Usyk and his coaching staff would probably come up with something specifically “for Joyce”, but the potential duel between Joe and Alexander looks difficult for the Ukrainian.

Why Usyk-Joyce fight is difficult to implement

Yes, now four boxers hold titles according to different versions. Oleksandr Usyk’s collection includes WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO belts. Tyson Fury holds the WBC title. The WBA has a regular champion – Daniel Dubois. Joe Joyce, after defeating Parker, became the interim WBO champion and the mandatory contender for the fight with Usyk.

As for the first ratings, which in the future may qualify for a title fight, then everything is more confusing. In the WBA, the first line is occupied by Michael Hunter, who had his last fight back in December last year. We have already spoken about Joyce and the WBO. Croatian Filip Hrgovic is number one in the IBF ranking. And the first line of the WBC rating is occupied by Deontay Wilder, who is scheduled to fight for the status of the official challenger with Robert Helenius on October 15.

That being said, Fury, who holds the WBC title, plans, or says he wants to, fight Anthony Joshua. And Usyk doesn’t mind going into the ring against Wilder or possibly Helenius if the Finn beats the American.

It is likely that all sanctioning organizations will allow Usyk and Fury to make mandatory defenses, in the hope that the Brit and Ukrainian will then agree on a unification fight. If the latter does not happen, then the championship confusion may begin again in the heavyweight division and it is not a fact that the Ukrainian will be the first to choose the WBO defense.

And one moment. At the moment, Joyce is not a very hyped, at least in comparison to the top 5, boxer of the division. And if that is the case, then neither the Ukrainian nor the British can count on big fees. And that’s not to mention another important factor.

Who is taking over

Announcing the fight Parker – Joyce, we focused on the age of the Briton. Joe is already 37 and, in all honesty, he hasn’t been boxing at a high level for too long. Yes, in heavyweight, age is far from a decisive factor, but at the same time an important one: the examples of Pulev and Ortiz, and Wladimir Klitschko, prove this.

Plus, taking into account Fury’s eccentricity and “changeability” of his mood, it is difficult to predict how much longer the Gypsy King will fight as a pro. Usyk stated that the goal for him is a unification fight with Fury. If it fails to organize it – a few fights for the sake of earning money and access to a sports pension. Wilder is 36, and it’s also unclear what shape and condition the Bronze Bomber is in after Fury’s defeat. If we discard these four, it turns out that there are only three boxers under 35 years old in the TOP 10 heavyweights – Joshua, Parker and Ruiz. But behind them are some interesting avenues – Martin Bakole, Frank Sanchez and Otto Wallin, Filip Hrgovic. So far, none of these four looks like a fighter capable of imposing competition on the tops, but who knows what will happen in a year and a half.

And what about the Ukrainians?

We have some young fighters by the standards of the current heavyweight division and prospects given their performance. 29-year-old Vlad Sirenko (19-0, 16 KOs) is in 44th place in the Boxrec rating, and his incredible schedule – 3-4 fights a year and gradual progress in the kind of rivals – Sokolovsky, Ustinov, Rudenko, was brought down by a large-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine.

The 30-year-old Vykhrist (10-0, 7 KOs) is also steadily rising in the ratings, gaining experience and improving his track record in Germany. So far, Victor is 59th in the world, but it seems that very soon he will be much higher.

There is a lot of skepticism about 29-year-old Alexander Zakhozhy (17-0, 13 KOs). But he seems to be undeserved. Alexander copes with the opponents offered to him without problems. Usyk invites the same Usyk as a sparring partner. And the anthropometric data of Zakhozhy allow us to consider him as a division prospect. Plus, let’s remember how much hate the Klitschko brothers received at the start of their careers.

So we have someone to follow and in whom to believe. And after the victory of Ukraine in the war, we are waiting for bright victories in boxing. There are enough prerequisites for this.