Carl Frampton has mixed reactions about heavyweight Joe Joyce’s fourth-round knockout victory over journeyman last Saturday night in London.
Frampton feels that with the leaky defense of the undefeated #1 WBO, #2 WBO ranked Joyce, he should avoid big punchers like Deontay Wilder.
The 6’6″ Joyce has been able to walk through the punches of the 14 opponents that he’s faced since turning professional in 2017, but he’s getting hit too much and still hasn’t faced a big hitter.
Even if Joyce is going to continue to be matched against ham & eggers by his management, the punishment he’s absorbing could shorten his career.
To be sure, Joyce is already up there in age at 36 due to his late start in his professional career, but he might soon be over the hill if he keeps getting nailed the way he has in his fights.
Like many boxing fans, Frampton feels that the 2016 Olympic silver medalist Joyce (14-0, 13 KOs) was getting hit too cleanly by the 34-year-old Hammer (27-10, 17 KOs) and it shouldn’t have been like that for a fighter ranked as high as he is.
“I don’t know if that was even a good performance. I suppose it was a good performance on paper,” said Carl Frampton to Fight Hub TV about Joe Joyce’s victory over 34-year-old journeyman Christian Hammer last Saturday night.
“He got rid of Hammer in four rounds, but he got hit really clean. We know Joe gets hit, and that’s how he fights and he marches forward but he got hit really, really clean tonight,” Frampton continued about Joyce getting nailed left & right with shots that would have knocked out most heavyweights.
It’s unlikely that Joyce’s management will try and match him against a killer like Deontay Wilder because he’s ranked too high with the WBC & WBO, and they won’t want to risk him losing out on a world title shot in 2023.
“There was still no effect on him and he did what he had to do, but how long can you continue to do that for?” Frampton said. “It’s hard not to like Joe, everyone likes Joe. He’s a great guy.
“He’s as tough as f***. A proper hard, hard man. I don’t know,” said Frampton when asked if Joyce will get knocked out by the big punchers in the division like Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua.
“People talk about what fight next. I think the only one to try and stay away because he does get hit so clean is Wilder because he is such a ferocious puncher, but I think Joe gives every single heavyweight on the planet a hard fight.
“That even includes the big man, the guy at the top, Tyson Fury just because of how tough he is and how he fights,” said Frampton about the 6’6″ Joyce. “He’s so fit, so unbelievably fit.
“At the end of four fast-paced rounds, Hammer was exhausted and Joe wasn’t breathing,” said Frampton.
