Johnny Nelson has raised major concerns about a heavyweight that holds wins over some of the biggest names in the division.
Nelson arguably ended his career at the perfect time, retiring as WBO cruiserweight champion back in 2005 after nearly seven straight years in possession of the belt, making him the longest reigning world cruiserweight champion in history.
Since hanging up the gloves, he has gone on to become one of the leading pundits in the UK, and he has now voiced his worries for his countryman and heavyweight fighter Joe Joyce.
Joyce was once seen as one of the stars of the division, claiming stoppage victories over Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker, but back-to-back losses to Zhilei Zhang in 2023 derailed the career of the Olympic silver medallist.
He has since suffered three further losses, beaten on points by both Derek Chisora and Filip Hrgovic, before a TKO loss to Artem Suslenkov in Russia on Saturday.
Speaking to TalkSport, Nelson expressed how concerned he was for Joyce.
“He’s going to regret it. When he’s 45, 50 and he can’t remember where he put his shoes or his back is hurting, it has all the after effects of boxing too long. You’ll hear it in his speech, listen to how he talks now.
“What we do as fighters is we’re willing to sell our souls to the devil and say ‘you know what, I don’t know what it costs, I’m going in.’ He’s not thinking about his health or tomorrow. What about his family. What about their concern?”
Joyce is yet to make a decision on his future after the latest defeat, but at 40-years-old, many fans are urging him to make the decision to retire.
