NINE years on from their meeting in Brazil, Joe Joyce and Tony Yoka could be set to collide once again in a high stakes heavyweight showdown at Wembley Stadium on the Usyk-Dubois II undercard.
Joyce, 16-4 (15 KOs), and Yoka, 14-3 (11 KOs), faced one another in the super-heavyweight final of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Yoka got the judges’ verdict by split decision but many believed Joyce had been robbed of the top prize.
Consequently, Yoka turned professional with a heap of expectation on his shoulders the following year but, despite winning his first 11 contests, a run of three straight defeats against Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam and Ryad Merhy, dented his hopes of becoming France’s first world heavyweight champion.
The Parisian has since appointed Don Charles, trainer of reigning IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, and secured three straight wins under Charles’ stewardship – including a unanimous-decision against Russia’s Arslan Yallyev on Saturday night.
Despite losing the 2016 final, Joe Joyce came agonisingly close to a world title shot by claiming the WBO interim title, but back-to-back stoppage defeats to Zhilei Zhang severely derailed the progress of ‘The Juggernaut’.
After getting back to winning ways against Kash Ali, the granite-chinned Joyce has since lost consecutive decisions to Derek Chisora and Filip Hrgovic and has been encouraged to retire by many fight fans.
However, it seems as though the Londoner will continue in the sport, with Yoka confirming to French newspaper L’Equipe that talks are underway for a must-win scrap against Joyce on the Usyk-Dubois II undercard at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, July 19.
Although retirement has been suggested after his recent losses, a showdown with Yoka will surely represent a final opportunity for 39-year-old Joyce, who will hope to achieve revenge against his amateur rival and avoid a fifth defeat in six outings and prove he still has something to offer.
