Yes it's a shame in one sense that Joyce didn't come in to boxing at a younger age but much of what makes him great are the qualities that come with age. - He wasn't as tough when he was younger and was easier to knock down. He's lost two amateur fights by KO (Kuzmin and AJ) probably stopped early but even so. - Joyce has grown into his frame massively as he has aged - Joyce has that ever mysterious 'old man strength' that you only really develop in your mid-late 30's. Not saying he would have been necessarily worse-off in the long run coming to the sport earlier but the guys on this forum suddenly suggesting he would have dominated the division for the last 10 years if only he had been boxing from a younger age are a bit delusional.
This is a boxing forum so the weeks after every big Heavyweight fight it follows a pattern on here,the winner is almost always lauded as the next BIG THING threads start popping up immediately how they would do this and that against the other top fighters in the current division and then threads asking where you would rank them in the ATG list,then threads stating how they would beat other big fighters from certain dates in History as well as threads comparing there best assets to past fighters and all the other hypothetical match ups they can think of.
Fury and Usyk are past their physical prime now. Fury and Usyk are easier to hit, although Usyk is still not easy to hit, he's clearly needing to take more rounds off. Joyce should make anyone in the division worry, as they're not knocking him out, so they have to survive 12 rounds with relentless pressure. It's hard enough having the likes of Usyk apply pressure at 220lbs, imagine 6ft 6 and 270lbs of brick wall with arms coming at you.
Nope he's the number 2 HW on the planet 37 year old Joyce is twice the force 27 year old Joyce was Joe Joyce only hit puberty when he turned 23
Pro fighting is a different game to amateur boxing and sparring AJ releasing old sparring tapes to take claim to bettering Joyce shows he is a bum and a mental midget. By any good standard he uses his face for defence a little too much but I think he will be one of the first exceptions in history to get away with it. Fury & Usyk will be a massage for him.
If i or others are overestimating the ability of Joyce then i am happy to do so, as if he is over estimated he might get a title shot ASAP, time is not on his side so early opportunity is good if we are overestimating then a champion will have a easy defence of his belt won't he?
This time two years ago the majority of the forum picked Dubois to stop Joyce. How quickly things change..
This is kind of the point im making though, he is much better than he was when young. Hence my thread. Not sure he's number 2 - I think Wilder beats him, ironically Usyk and Fury might struggle more.
Yeah, you know Dubois wasn't doing so bad there with him, he was landing very good hard punches, Joyce damaging his eye so bad ended that fight more rather.
