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We are to witness the heavyweight career crossroads fight that has the potential to sizzle
The irascible former Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson famously coined the phrase: “A week is a long time in politics.” And if the Right Honourable Mr Wilson was right, then two years in boxing is an absolute eternity.
In 2023, Londoner Joe Joyce was flying and regarded by plenty of good boxing judges as the most dangerous – and avoided – heavyweight in the sport.
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This time 24 months ago ‘The Juggernaut’ was unbeaten in 14 fights and had stopped men of the calibre of Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker during that run.
There was talk of stadium fights against Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury. The world – it seemed - was his oyster.
Staying on the political theme, in 2025 Joyce is now very much in the midst of a metaphorical Winter of Discontent.
Warren Little/Getty Images
The slide started in April 2023 with Zhilei Zhang. Joyce started as a warm favourite in the betting for his Copper Box Arena date with ‘Big Bang’, but the immovable object from Putney proved he was in fact human after all, suffering damage to his right eye as he was stopped inside six rounds.
Team Joyce told us it was a mere aberration, and they would sign for a return fight at Wembley Arena just five months later. Alas it was no aberration, with Joyce counted out in round three of that rematch after being dropped heavily by a right hook to the head.
A ‘gimme’ victory against Kash Ali last year was followed by a points loss to Derek Chisora at the O2, and a heavyweight who had once looked unbreakable was suddenly 16-3 (15).
He goes again this Saturday in a high-profile heavyweight encounter against Filip Hrgovic, who himself comes in as a show-saver for the injured Dillian Whyte.
The bill is Frank Warren’s first for DAZN, and the Hall-of-Fame promoter is clearly excited to get things going at home of boxing.
Warren told The Ring recently: “This is a better fight than Whyte and it’s risky. But it has to be - he is in the last chance saloon now. But if he beats Hrgovic he is right back in the mix, in a big way.
“It’s a very tough fight but Hrgovic is in the last chance saloon too and that’s why this is such a good fight.
“You could see in the first few rounds against Daniel [Dubois] that Hrgovic was very accurate with his punching, so Joe has to slip a few of them, let’s see if he can do that.
“But it was also a hard ending in that fight for Hrgovic too so let’s see how he comes back from that here.”
As Warren alluded however, there are question marks surrounding Hrgovic too, who was last seen being blasted out by former Joyce victim Dubois at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh last June.
The Croatian has the physical attributes and boxing ability to be one of the main players in the division, yet one wonders whether he lacks the self-belief to put everything together against the elite.
Whatever the truth, we have two men very much standing on the heavyweight precipice this weekend, and for that reason alone it should be intriguing.
When you watched peak Joyce, he had you marvelling at his merciless engine and durability. Only Big Joe, and others in the Joyce business, will know what he actually has left at the age of 39 but it’s certainly true that he is slowing down and not the marauding monster he once was.
There is an honesty about Joyce that makes you root for him, and yet some critics will perhaps question his decision to fight on after that shock loss to Chisora.
‘The Juggernaut’ is an Olympic silver medallist after all and has punched out some good wins – in good company - as a pro as well as winning, British European, Commonwealth and an interim world title.
The bookies, who rarely get these things wrong, have Joyce as a 3/1 outsider this weekend. However, nobody knows what that Dubois pasting has taken out of Hrgovic, who certainly does not look a banker bet at heavy odds on in the circumstances.
Whatever happens in Manchester Joyce has enjoyed a career to be proud of, but he should also be allowed to leave the sport on his own terms.
Boxing is a fickle old game, and things can change in the blink of an eye. Chisora, remember, was brought in to lose against Joyce last year, ripped up the script at a raucous O2, and now likely has a world title shot to look forward to in 2025.
Chisora is living proof that the more audacity you have the more life rewards you. So, here is to Joyce vs Hrgovic, the heavyweight career crossroads fight that has the potential to sizzle.
There’s so much at stake for both fighters: don’t go home until you are proud, lads.
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