JOE JOYCE is on a collision course with Tony Yoka after Frank Warren confirmed the signing of the 2016 Olympic champion.
Joyce suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Dereck Chisora in a Fight of the Year contender at the o2 Arena in July and it has not been clear whether or not the 38-year-old will box on.
The Juggernaut has now lost three of his last four outings, including two brutal stoppage defeats to Zhilei Zhang which has left him way out of the world title picture.
But his promoter Warren has now revealed that Joyce is ready to return and that Queensberry will facilitate his comeback.
And now Frenchman Yoka has emerged as the perfect opponent to match Joyce with as they both bid to climb back towards the upper reaches of the heavyweight rankings.
The pair have history after Yoka narrowly and controversially beat him in the super-heavyweight final at the Rio 2016 Olympics but Joyce might now be set for a shot at redemption.
Yoka, meanwhile, lost three 10-rounders on the bounce – against Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam and Ryad Merhy – but has since put together two quick stoppage wins, firstly in Tolworth in July before he beat Lamah Griggs in the second of their six-rounder in Swindon on September 7.
“Joe wants to fight back so we will give him a go, I owe him that,” Warren told Boxing News. “The next fight will be a defining moment for him.
“The fight against Chisora was very close, the fact of the matter is that the knockdown decided it on the cards. I thought Joyce was going to win but Chisora proved me wrong. Both of them showed tremendous grit.
“I feel it’s something we owe Joe and it’s up to Joe to prove he’s still got a future where he can challenge for a world title and try to win it.
“We’ve just signed Tony Yoka so there’s a fight there that will be made in the future.”
When asked whether Joyce, now 16-3 (15), will be offered a low-key comeback fight before they attempt to seal a showdown with Yoka, Warren said: “It depends who is there.
“We will look around, look at the opposition and try and find him a fight I think he can win against the best name. He’s not a baby and he needs to re-establish himself.”
