Joe Joyce plans to end veteran Derek Chisora’s long career on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.
Joyce (16-2, 15 KOs) is in a position where he must destroy the 40-year-old Chisora for him to receive any credit for the victory. Chisora (34-13, 23 KOs) is so shot at this late stage of his 17-year career that Joyce can’t just beat him. He’s got to totally obliterate him, leaving nothing but dust.
Joyce-Chisora will be shown live on ESPN+ and TNT Sports this Saturday, July 27th. If this is the end of Chisora’s career, many boxing fans will be glad because they’ve seen the deterioration.
‘The Juggernaut’ Joyce looks like he’s ready to be sent out to pasture as well, as he’s awful in three consecutive fights against Kash Ali and Zhilei Zhang.
“Styles make fights. Derek is a different type of style. He’s going to bring war and unpredictability. So you know what you’re going to get,” said Joe Joyce to TNT Sports Boxing about his fight this Saturday night against Derek Chisora at the O2 Arena in London.
Due to his advanced age and declining skills, Chisora is made for almost any heavyweight in the top tier now. When he walks, he has a labored look that resembles a person much older than his chronological age. He walks slowly, talks, and fights in the same way now.
“He’s had a great career, and I guess I should be ending it. I don’t want it to go the distance, and I don’t think he does, either. It’s ten rounds, it’s not twelve. I want to make a statement and go on further,” said Joyce about Chisora.
The way Chisora has looked since the Joseph Parker fight in 2021, he should have retired back then. He hasn’t looked decent since his loss to Oleksandr Usyk in 2020, and the only reason he performed well in that fight was because he had a huge size and power advantage.
“I’m going into it like any other fight. It’s a big fight,” said Joyce. “It’s a fight that I never thought I’d have, and then when Adam [Moralee] said to me, ‘Derek Chisora.’ I was, ‘What? Alright then,’ and the fight is made.”
Joyce wanted to fight Chisora years ago, but he hasn’t shown interest until now. You can understand why he was finally willing to face Joyce. Chisora has lost four out of his last six fights, and this was likely the only fight that was offered to him that would pay.
“You’re going to have a big show at the O2, especially being London-born and bred. It’s great to be in London town,” said Joyce.
It’s questionable how big the event will be, but fans are interested in watching the Joyce-Chisora fight, but less so the undercard. The problem holding back interest is that both guys have looked terrible recently, and fans can’t get amped up about seeing two older heavyweights who are viewed as has-beens.
“Joe doesn’t have a clue what’s going to happen. You think I’m joking,” said Chisora. “The only thing I get nervous about is if I don’t perform for the public. That’s my let down. It’s not a boxing fight.”
If Chisora pulls off a victory by a knockout, Joyce needs to retire because he shouldn’t be losing to this type of fighter. Yeah, Joyce was knocked out twice by Zhilei Zhang, but that was a fighter with a lot of power, which not even Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury dare fight.
“It’s a show. It’s how you arrive and how you walk in the ring and how you and how it’s set up. Everything has to be correct. Everything is a play,” said Chisora.
Derek is still an entertainer inside and outside the ring. You listen to him carefully because he speaks so slowly and always looks tired as if he just trained hard.
