JOE JOYCE, the Olympic super-heavyweight silver medallist and Commonwealth heavyweight titlist, isn’t afraid to fight Nick Webb. He already has, three times as an amateur. But he can’t do it on two weeks’ notice.
Eddie Hearn had mooted the idea of Joyce boxing Webb on the July 28 undercard at the O2. But Joe has just returned to England from a trip abroad. While he is keen on the fight, he can’t be ready in time for that date. Instead he suggests fighting Webb on the September 22 undercard at Wembley stadium.
“It’s too short notice, and [with just two weeks to prepare] too big a risk,” Joyce told Boxing News. “I’ll be more than happy to fight him in September. It’ll be great if it can be at Wembley.”
“We’ve had two barnstormers fighting in the amateurs. I managed to stop him in the last ABAs I went in [in 2014],” he continued. “I fought him three times. One was the Haringey [Box Cup].]
Previously they had also boxed in an ABA pre quarter-final in what proved to be an unexpectedly exciting three rounds. “I got cut,” Joyce remembered. “I was taking far too many shots. I watched it back the other day. It was cringeworthy. Whenever I look at my old fights, like that and the early WSB ones… I’m blocking shots with my face.”
He has developed since then but he has had to part ways with professional trainer Ismael Salas. “He’s retiring and going to Doha,” Joyce explained. “He’s an amazing coach, he’s transformed my style. He’s making me use the bio mechanics of my body and maximising the power I can generate. It’s been really fun… Being more loose and elusive, showing me how to slip shots and stuff like that.
“It’s a massive loss, he’s a great guy but obviously I have learned a lot from him. I can take that with me to whoever I train with and add to my arsenal.”
Joyce is moving quickly as a heavyweight and a new trainer will be announced in due course.
