Joe Joyce’s Toughness Finally Runs Out As Artem Suslenkov Stops Him In Moscow

The Russian overwhelmed the former world title challenger before an 11th-round stoppage in Moscow to strengthen his position in the heavyweight rankings

Artem Suslenkov delivered the biggest victory of his career Saturday night, stopping Joe Joyce in the 11th round after dominating long stretches of their heavyweight clash in Moscow. The defeat extended Joyce’s difficult run and marked another major step forward for one of Russia’s leading heavyweight contenders.

Joyce struggled with Suslenkov’s speed and activity from the opening rounds. The younger heavyweight repeatedly beat him to the punch, landing clean right hands and combinations while preventing the British veteran from establishing his jab.

Despite giving away size, Suslenkov controlled long stretches of the contest with accurate straight punches and hooks. Joyce continued pressing forward, relying on the toughness that carried him through much of his career, but his offense lacked the power and volume needed to slow the unbeaten Russian.

By the championship rounds, the accumulated punishment had taken its toll. Suslenkov continued landing the cleaner punches as Joyce’s output steadily declined.

The fight ended in the 11th round after Suslenkov connected with another series of combinations. Joyce stepped backward and raised his right hand toward the referee without being knocked down, prompting the official to halt the bout and award Suslenkov an 11th-round technical knockout victory.

The victory is the biggest of Suslenkov’s professional career. Improving to 15-0 (10 KOs), the WBA Continental and IBF European heavyweight champion added the highest-profile name to his resume and strengthened his position in the heavyweight rankings.

Joyce fell to 16-5 with the defeat, his fifth loss in his last six fights. The former Olympic silver medalist and one-time interim heavyweight titleholder has now suffered consecutive setbacks against Zhilei Zhang, Derek Chisora, Filip Hrgovic and Suslenkov during the final stage of his career.

The bout served as the co-main event of the IBA Pro 19 card and marked Joyce’s first appearance in more than a year following his unanimous decision loss to Hrgovic. Fighting in front of Suslenkov’s home crowd, the 40-year-old was unable to reverse his recent slide as the younger Russian secured the signature victory of his career.

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