Joe Joyce has certainly taken the road less traveled to get where he is today. Indeed, having turned professional at the age of 31, Joyce’s foray into the world of heavyweight boxing came significantly later than that of most pros.
While Joyce was enjoying a glittering amateur career before turning pro – which included a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the truth is that the heavyweight’s interests lay outside of the sport of boxing.
At least, before Joyce began throwing devastating punches in the ring, he was known to have a paintbrush in his hands owing to his passion for art. During his time at Middlesex University, the imposing boxer earned a degree in fine arts, which goes without saying, is a world away from the brutality of the heavyweight ring.
Eventually, though, Joyce decided to pursue a career in professional boxing in 2017 after his amateur trainers implored him to. The rest as they say is history with the British heavyweight going on to win the first 15 professional fights of his career; better than never some might say.
As of October 2023, the Juggernaut has fought in 17 bouts, winning 15 and losing two. Here is a detailed analysis of Joyce’s career so far.
| Bout Number | Result | Opponent | Type | Location | Date |
| 17 | Loss | Zhilei Zhang | KO | Wembley Arena, London, England | 23 Sep 2023 |
| 16 | Loss | Zhilei Zhang | TKO | Copper Box Arena, London, England | 15 Apr 2023 |
| 15 | Win | Joseph Parker | KO | Manchester Arena, Manchester, England | 24 Sep 2022 |
| 14 | Win | Christian Hammer | TKO | Wembley Arena, London, England | 2 Jul 2022 |
| 13 | Win | Carlos Takam | TKO | Wembley Arena, London, England | 24 Jul 2021 |
| 12 | Win | Daniel Dubois | TKO | Church House, London, England | 28 Nov 2020 |
| 11 | Win | Michael Wallisch | TKO | BT Sport Studio, London, England | 25 Jul 2020 |
| 10 | Win | Bryant Jennings | UD | The O2 Arena, London, England | 13 Jul 2019 |
| 9 | Win | Alexander Ustinov | TKO | Broadhall Way, Stevenage, England | 18 May 2019 |
| 8 | Win | Bermane Stiverne | TKO | The O2 Arena, London, England | 23 Feb 2019 |
| 7 | Win | Joe Hanks | KO | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, US | 1 Dec 2018 |
| 6 | Win | Iago Kiladze | KO | Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California, US | 30 Sep 2018 |
| 5 | Win | Ivica Bacurin | KO | York Hall, London, England | 15 Jun 2018 |
| 4 | Win | Lenroy Thomas | KO | The O2 Arena, London, England | 5 May 2018 |
| 3 | Win | Donnie Palmer | KO | York Hall, London, England | 17 Mar 2018 |
| 2 | Win | Rudolf Jozic | KO | York Hall, London, England | 16 Feb 2018 |
| 1 | Win | Ian Lewison | TKO | indigo at The O2, London, England | 20 Oct 2017 |
Who did Joyce lose to?
Joyce has two defeats to his name so far with the heavyweight losing to the same opponent on both occasions. It’s fair to say that very few people expected burly Chinese boxer Zhilei Zhang to be Joyce’s kryptonite but the truth is that the 38-year-old’s career has come to a grinding halt following two back-to-back defeats to the hard-hitting southpaw.
The first came at the Copper Box Arena in London on the 15th of April 2023 when Joyce defended his WBO interim title for the first time. The showdown in London was seen as a tune-up bout for Joyce who was on course to fight either Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury.
Instead, Zhang was able to stop the Brit in the sixth round following a barrage of heavy punches to Joyce’s right eye which subsequently closed. After a brief consolation with the ringside doctor, the referee stopped the fight which saw Joyce suffer the first defeat of his professional career.
Just five months later, Joyce returned in a bid to avenge his loss to Zhang when the pair went head-to-head at the Wembley Arena in London on September 23rd. However, it was evident that lessons from Joyce’s shock loss in April had not been heeded with Zhang able to hurt the 38-year-old as early as the first round.
The bout would end abruptly in the third round as Zhang won by way of knockout. It was a ruthless display that left Joyce’s career hanging in the balance.
How many knockouts has Joyce recorded?
During Joyce’s 15 career wins to date, the heavyweight has managed to win by way of technical knockout or knockout on 14 occasions. This impressive ratio has given Joyce a KO record of 93 percent.
Who will Joyce fight next and what are the odds of the Brit winning?
It’s hard to say who Joyce will fight next and even harder to say whether the 38-year-old will get back in the ring again following two brutal defeats to Zhang. The reality is that Joyce’s fabled granite chin has dramatically weakened and without it, he was mercilessly exposed and stopped early on.
Joyce, of course, has remained adamant that he will fight again in 2024. However, after some time away from the sport over the winter when the 38-year-old gets to evaluate his losses with great clarity, that desire to compete again may be replaced with a sense of realism.
With this being the case, Joyce currently does not have any odds listed on his chances of winning. Should that change and you want to bet on Joyce’s next match, then be sure to use BetVictor’s safe and responsible gambling tools to help you stay in control when betting on boxing.
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