Joe Joyce will return to action against an unbeaten heavyweight on July 11, entering his first fight under the tutelage of head coach SugarHill Steward.
The 40-year-old has not fought since April 2025, back when he gave a strong account of himself before losing a unanimous decision to Filip Hrgovic. Joyce had been set to face fellow veteran Dillian Whyte, only to take on former world title challenger Hrgovic in a gruelling 10-round contest when Whyte pulled out due to injury.
Prior to that, the ‘Juggernaut’ had been dropped and unanimously outpointed by Derek Chisora, which followed his 10th-round finish over Kash Ali in 2024.
Hoping to return to the win column, Joyce is now gearing up to face Russia’s Artem Suslenkov on the undercard of Murat Gassiev vs Tony Yoka at Moscow’s VTB Arena.
Having also linked up with notable trainer Steward, who is best known for his work with Tyson Fury, Joyce said that he looks forward to facing the 30-year-old on away soil.
“I’ve spent the last year preparing, training and wanting to be back in the ring. I’m excited for the opportunity to travel to Russia and challenge for the WBA continental heavyweight title on July 11.
“Thank you to IBA Pro for the opportunity. My team and I are locked in and Moscow should get ready for a big performance.”
Suslenkov boasts a professional record of 14-0 (9 KOs) and most notably defeated Michael Hunter via an eight-round unanimous decision in an IBA Pro match in 2024.
The 6ft 1in heavyweight has also previously outpointed Christian Hammer and comes off back-to-back stoppages over Agron Smakici and Artur Mann.
For Joyce, meanwhile, there is clearly a desire to remain in the sport, even after many called for him to retire following consecutive stoppage defeats to Zhilei Zhang in 2023.
