JOE JOYCE reckons he is so well versed in boxing politics he could do a job as MP for Putney.
The 37-year-old West London heavyweight was robbed of a 2016 Olympic gold by dubious judging.
And now he has to wait in line while Daniel Dubois, who he beat in 2020, gets a crack at Oleksandr Usyk’s WBA, IBF and WBO belts ahead of him.
Thankfully, while Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder drop in the popularity polls over their ducking or delays, the unbeaten Juggernaut is taking huge fights.
But the bachelor of fine arts could have had a degree in boxing’s dark arts by now and manages a smile when asked how he copes with the frustrating hurt business.
Ahead of his Copper Box showdown with 6ft, 6in Chinese southpaw Zhilei Zhang, Joyce told SunSport: “Again with the boxing politics, it seems to be the bane of my f*****g career.
Read More on Boxing
“I have never had it easy, going back to those Olympic finals.
“And now I have to meander through the pro game, walking through opponents and jumping over hurdles just to fight the top guys.
“I reckon I could do a job as an MP after all this, I have ended up having to be quite the diplomat.
“I’ve talked about going back to university after the boxing career to do an art Masters but maybe I’ll retrain and take my politics experience into a second job.”
Most read in Boxing
Joyce did not even start boxing until he was 21 and spent a decade as an amateur before turning pro, so he has always been playing catch-up.
Early doubters deemed his unique style slow and clumsy.
But now Joyce’s granite chin, relentless engine and thunderous power have made him a venerated veteran with a perfect 15-0 record, 14 of his victims being KO’d.
And the former rugby, diving and athletics ace and star student can look back on his old video nasties with pride, because it seems he has the rest of the division running scared.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST NEW CUSTOMER SIGN UP DEALS
He said: “I like to critique myself after a fight.
“I like to look back and review my performance because, in the moment and with the adrenaline pumping, you don’t really know how you’re doing.
“When the punches are flying and the crowd is cheering it can fly by, so I like to get backstage or to the hotel and watch it all back.
“Watching some of my older fights, especially early ones in the amateurs, cringes me out a little bit but I can see how much my technique has really moved along.”
Joyce’s 2022 win over ex-world champ Joseph Parker was a fight-of-the-year contender, a bloody battle ended with a stunning left hook and the Kiwi’s first stoppage loss.
And Joyce’s eyes light up when we tell him Parker and expert trainer Andy Lee said the KO artist boxed exactly how they anticipated but they had utterly no way of stopping him.
He beamed: “I am buzzing with that! That will do for me.
“I want to be considered a daunting task, I take that as a compliment.
“Some boxers are unpredictable but I guess everyone knows my style and it’s good for me that they can’t work it out or stop it.
Read More on The Sun
“It feels nice to start getting some of this credit because I was flying under the radar. Now I am climbing above the surface and hopefully beyond.
“It’s nice to be getting the support and the recognition — and the money ain’t bad either.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
