We may have the workings of the next British grudge-match. Joe Joyce, obviously taking offence at Anthony Joshua’s recent tweet where AJ recalled the time he halted Joyce in one round in an amateur fight and then wrote how he would repeat the result if they fought these days, has fired back with his own words. Joyce – who may or may not be in the frame as a possible AJ opponent while Joshua waits for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk (who will not be able to box until who knows when due to the ongoing troubles in Ukraine) – came out firing yesterday.
“And @anthony joshua you having a meltdown, where’s all your belts? All those sponsorships and endorsements helping? You’re a glass cannon, quit the act, you were given everything. #easymode,” wrote Joyce.
Joshua returned fire himself, pointing out how “it took you [Joyce] five days to think of this.”
Joshua has a number of options as far as an interim fight goes – Otto Wallin, Luis Ortiz, Joseph Parker – but now it might be that a Joshua-Joyce fight is the one fans ask for. The bad blood seems to be real and a fight between Joshua and Joyce would easily fill a big arena. When Joyce calls AJ a “glass cannon,” he is likely making the accusation that Joshua is and has been gun-shy since his KO loss to Andy Ruiz. Joyce is far from the only person to have made this claim.
As far as Joshua being “given everything,” Joyce may be referring to the big money Joshua has enjoyed, or is he perhaps suggesting Joshua has been given an easy path in the ring? If so, plenty of Joshua fans will disagree with Joyce there. Whatever the real reason for the grudge (that bold claim that he would be stopped in a round by Joshua clearly annoyed Joyce) this is a fight that absolutely makes sense and it is a fight that would attract major fan interest.
How good is “The Juggernaut,” and could he take Joshua’s best shots? Would Joshua be taking a huge risk if he took this fight?
Of the possible interim fight options AJ has, a fight with Joyce is the most attractive. Agree or disagree?