Joe Joyce is desperate to get his career back on track with a win over Filip Hrgovic.
‘The Juggernaut’ Joe Joyce has just one win in his last four fights, as following his win over Joseph Parker, his career took a dramatic turn.
In 2023, Joyce made a voluntary defense of his WBO interim title against Zhilei Zhang, in a fight which did not go Joyce’s way. The Brit couldn’t seem to avoid Zhang’s shots and was stopped after his eye swelled.
The rematch was no better, as he was stopped in round three. After one comeback win over lackluster opposition, Joyce lost a unanimous decision to an aged Derek Chisora.
He’s now set to make what may be a final bid for his career against Filip Hrgovic.
Joe Joyce’s blind mother speaks out ahead of toughest night of her son’s career
Joyce was originally set to face Dillian Whyte, a fellow Brit whose career has also been on the slide following a loss to Tyson Fury and some time away from the sport after allegedly using PEDs.
Whyte was forced to withdraw, though, as he sustained a finger injury in training. Frank Warren’s team scrambled to find a replacement for Queensberry’s first show with DAZN, and landed on Croatian ‘El Animal’ Hrgovic, who has lost only to Daniel Dubois.
Joyce’s mother, Marvel Opara, spoke to Sky Sports on what it’s like attending her son’s fights:
“I’d like it if they could have audio description in boxing properly so I’d be able to follow on with everyone else instead of me reacting to the audience.”
Opara continued: “I’ll hear ‘Oos’ and ‘Aahs’ and think ‘Oh god is that my son or is it the other person?’, and if I’m sitting right near ringside I can hear the exchanges and it’s quite… I feel like it’s going through my body, I feel like I’m in the fight.”
Joyce fought Oleksandr Usyk in the amateurs and may eye a rematch in the pros if he beats Hrgovic.
Richard Riakporhe skeptical over Lawrence Okolie’s withdrawal from Joyce-Hrgovic co-main event
In the co-main event of the night, branded as ‘Heavy Impact’, Lawrence Okolie was scheduled for his second fight in the heavyweight division against Richard Riakporhe, who was moving up from cruiserweight after a loss to Chris Billam-Smith, just as Okolie had done.
Riakporhe is suspicious of Okolie’s withdrawal, which he claims is due to injury:
“My team said they’re gonna enquire and ask for proof of injury but there’s been nothing. Me personally, I don’t think he was injured”.
The timing is highly controversial, as just two days before his withdrawal, Okolie became ranked number 1 by the WBC, meaning Okolie would likely be set for a bigger payday and a world title shot, something that he may not have wanted to risk against Riakporhe.
“Once I heard that he was made… upgraded to number one position in the WBC I think that’s when things started to fall through,” Riakporhe said.
The Okolie Riakporhe fight would’ve been a continuation of years of tension between the pair.