Joe Joyce vs Rocky Marciano

Joyce is 32 years old already.
I doubt he'll amount to much.

 

I think he is an interesting Superheavyweight. He should be gaged on his merit so far. Difficult to asses. His size and workrate can make him hard to beat rather than outright good, he can’t get much better. You never know he could factor. Pele Reid certainly didn’t and neither did that Larry Olubamiwo bloke who was supposed to be hot sh!t.

 

nothing particularly impressive about Thomas' pad workout, just used it to show that Thomas was not a fat slob at 230 pounds. When the power hand is thrown, most of the weight should end up on the front leg, then if the fighter wants to hook, the weight should transfer to the back leg. That's just basic weight transfer.

In the 50s there were few if any southpaw heavyweights around. If a fighter has not learned to fight facing southpaws it can be a difficult learning experience. Today, boxers spar/fight southpaws regularly and when they fight one it is not such a big deal. Joe Joyce probably fought a lot of them during his amateur career. Thomas was just another fight for him.

One of the things that would happen in the days before southpaws were common in boxing is that a southpaw would jab with his right hand and the conventional fighter would parry the jab with his right hand as he had learned to do with the left jab of conventional fighters. When he parried with the right, he left the right side of his head open and the southpaw would hit him with an unseen, unblocked left hand behind the jab. That could be a game changer and depending on the adaptability of the conventional fighter that could happen a lot. Now, most boxers see enough southpaws that they naturally parry the right jab with their own left and work with whatever else they have found effective against lefties. IMO, any heavyweight who has not fought many southpaws is going to have problems with a big, strong southpaw like Thomas.

 

I don’t think his age will be that big a factor. It’s not like he’s as old as Ortiz or just started boxing. He’s been a boxer for about 10 years now and it’s not like he’s going have a slow buildup for the next 5 or 6 years before he gets to challenge for a world title. Don’t forget Joshua was only a pro for about 2 years fighting has-beens and nobodies before he was matched with Dillion Whyte and when he won that, his next fight was for the world title. Joshua was younger but I can see Joyce at his current rate fighting for the title in the next 2 years or so.

 

this is correct. When the power hand is thrown, most of the weight should end up on the front leg. It shouldn’t start and end on the front leg, which is what Lenroy was doing and why he can only push with his back hand.

technique among the great fighters of previous eras was as advanced as it is now. So long as fighter knows he’s fighting a southpaw, and prepares with southpaws for southpaws I don’t see a problem from one era to the next.

He did, but to beat good fighters in the pros you first have to be a good pro fighter. Joyce might be a good pro fighter. He’s 32 already. Let’s see.

one training camp. That’s all it takes for an already great fighter to work that out. One camp.

This has always been the case. It still is the case now. There are fighters who just will never do well against southpaws, even the ones who fight and train regularly with southpaws. Great fighters are great because they are exceptional. Exceptions to rules. The quality of the fighter has to count. It won’t count if the quality isn’t there.

 

I know his record I'm English FFS! He is the most decorated British amateur boxer of all time.
Good engine and size ,throws a lot of punches.Open and slow and I don't think he is a big puncher,With the amount of amateur fights he has had I am surprised how rudimentary his technique is, he isnt hard to hit and keeps his head up. I wish him well but 32? No, not for me, my idea of a prospect is Daniel Dubois 7-0-0, 20 years old.
.Fighting for the British Heavyweight title next month.

ps How much weight was Usyk conceding to Joyce?