David Haye has let it be known how his star heavyweight, Joe Joyce, who last night improved to 2-0(2) with an easy one-round stoppage of Rudolf Jozic, is close to getting a big fight with Dereck Chisora next. Haye has tweeted how Joyce-Chisora is “pretty much sorted to be on the Haye-Bellew 2 under-card on May 5.”
A very interesting fight that will match together the young tiger (although Joyce is already 32, hence the need to move him quite fast) and the old lion, Chisora-Joyce will be a “barnstormer from the first bell,” according to Joyce’s promoter Haye. Certainly, the May 5 card will be added to with this intriguing clash.
However, is Chisora, 27-8(19) but just two years older than Joyce, too big a step up at this early stage in the pro career of Joyce? Is Haye rushing his man too much?
“Good news for British fight fans, Dereck Chisora shook Joe Joyce’s hand a couple of weeks ago and said if the money was right……myself and Eddie Hearn have put together a financial package together for him to do it on May 5,” Haye said today. “I hope he is a man of his word.”
The offer, Haye says, matches the money Chisora got for his last fight, when he was out-pointed by Agit Kabayel in a European title fight.
Chisora has seen better days, yes, but he has an absolute ton of experience, having gone 12 rounds a number of times and having been in with a number of world champions (including Vitali Klitschko and Tyson Fury). Last seen losing the decision to Kabayel in November of last year (Chisora is rarely stopped; just twice in fact) “Del Boy” says he had an off night and is ready to get back in with a big fight. Does the fight with Joyce motivate Chisora? Is this the right fight for Joyce?
Joyce didn’t mess around in his pro debut, going in with the experienced Ian Lewison (and winning in style), and the former Olympian didn’t mess around last night; but Chisora could prove to be a whole other level for him. And if a fighter goes up a level, can he ever go back down?
It’s a risky fight, but arguably it’s a big enough risk for both men. Fans will have to shell out Box Office cash for the May 5 card headlined by that grudge-rematch between Bellew and Haye, and if Joyce and Chisora do indeed fight on the card, the value for money on offer will rise significantly. Just maybe Chisora-Joyce will prove to be a better action fight than the main event that night.