This Saturday at the O2 Arena in Greenwich (London), the anticipated showdown between British heavyweights Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce (16-2-0, 15 KOs) and Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora (34-13-0, 23 KOs) will take place. The two will face off in the main event of the card organized by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, each trying to catch what could be the last train of their respective careers for a prestigious opportunity.
Joe Joyce: The Same Slogan as Mike Tyson… Almost!
Once, when asked about his opponent’s strategic plan, Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Before Joe Joyce suffered his first professional defeat, when he still seemed indestructible, capable of walking through his opponents’ punches as if they were those of petulant children, various memes circulated about him, the funniest of which read: “Everyone has a plan until they punch me in the face and nothing happens.” This amusing aphorism was shattered by the fists of China’s Zhilei Zhang, who first forced Joyce to retire in April 2023 by damaging his eye, and then brutally knocked him out in the rematch five months later. Joyce learned the hard way that even the sturdiest chin in the heavyweight division cannot afford to take endless punches and that defense is an essential technical skill for aspiring to the top of the boxing world. Now, it remains to be seen whether the two beatings have broken something in Joyce’s body and mind or if the relentless pressure fighter known for his heroic resilience is still with us.
Dereck Chisora: Last Hurrah or Same Fate as Danny Williams?
Chisora has been written off many times, and many times the burly British heavyweight has proven the skeptics wrong by delivering performances that exceeded expectations. Now that he has turned 40, however, shocking the world will undoubtedly be a more challenging task for him. Del Boy, likely convinced he can exploit his rival’s poor defense, confidently predicts a knockout victory. However, a growing number of fans, especially in the UK, are starting to worry that he is entering the typical spiral of boxers unable to hang up their gloves. It’s impossible not to think of the unenviable fate of the famous British heavyweight Danny Williams, who, after a respectable career, continued to fight worldwide until he was 50, with certainly detrimental effects on his health. Chisora’s last triumph, a boring points win over the unimpressive Gerald Washington, could have been an excellent opportunity to leave the scene as a winner, but evidently, Del Boy does not believe the time has come yet. Facing a dangerous puncher like Joyce at this point in his career, at this age, and with many grueling wars behind him, could be a risky choice. Will it be Chisora’s last hurrah or a terrible debacle?
What Will Happen? Boxe Punch’s Prediction!
Boxing video collector Enrico Crociati, who has seen an enormous number of world champions fight live and owns a simply vast collection of footage, has a specific expression for defining this kind of fight. Although I have heard him say it many times, it still makes me smile. He calls them the “Bud Spencer Trophy,” referring to the classic movies starring Carlo Pedersoli, aka Bud Spencer, where the various characters systematically slapped and punched each other, flying across the set, amusing both young and old.
Everything suggests that Joyce vs. Chisora has all the makings to earn this “award.” The two boxers are not famous for their perfect punch trajectories, millimetric dodges, or footwork: they will almost certainly meet in the center of the ring, swinging their arms like a prehistoric man swings a club, and will try to knock each other down in a battle where brute strength and pain resistance are the main weapons.
Joe Joyce, whose defense has always left something to be desired, at 38 and after two terrible defeats at the hands of Zhang, seems even easier to hit than in past years. At least, this is what his last victorious outing against the modest Kash Ali suggests. Juggernaut won most rounds and ended the fight by KO, but he took a worrying number of punches from a boxer he should have handled with less trouble. Therefore, there is every reason to believe that Chisora’s famous wide right hand, the one that once knocked out Carlos Takam and floored Joseph Parker, could find the right openings to land multiple times in this bout as well.
On the other hand, it’s important to note that Del Boy’s type of power is very different from Zhang’s. The Chinese boxer’s punches are explosive and fast, often leaving the recipient unable to see them coming and feeling like they’ve been hit by a speeding train. In contrast, Chisora’s punches, while heavy, travel at a much slower speed and follow much wider trajectories, often making them predictable. Joyce should, therefore, be able to absorb them and continue his characteristic demolition work.
If in the early rounds, with both boxers fresh, Chisora’s wide hooks might stand out more to the judges and spectators than Juggernaut’s understated work, as the minutes pass, the momentum seems destined to shift. The weight of many career wars, combined with the relentless decline due to age, risks making Del Boy increasingly disorganized and vulnerable, to the point where his well-known resilience might not be enough to hear the final bell. Therefore, I predict a technical knockout victory for Joe Joyce in the later rounds of the fight.