Joe Joyce suffered his fourth career defeat last night in Manchester, this as Filip Hrgovic, who was also drinking at the Last-Chance Saloon, beat him over the course of ten exciting but at the same tome sometimes tough to watch rounds. Tough to watch? This is because there has been for some time now genuine concern regarding Joyce’s mental health, his mental sharpness.
Two brain exams were undertaken prior to last night’s fight, with Joyce getting the all-clear. But how will Joe’s brain cells be this morning, after taking the numerous right hands to the head and jaw he took from Hrgovic?
The calls for Joyce’s retirement are even louder now, but “The Juggernaut” most likely isn’t listening. In the post-fight interview, Joyce said yeah, he would continue – “are you not entertained?” he asked the crowd.
And yes, to be fair, we were entertained, as we have been in each and every one of Joyce’s fights. But at what cost to him and his future years? Readers are most likely sick and tired of people like me calling for fighter A or for fighter B to call it a career and retire. After all, what do I know, what does any writer know? And what gives anyone the right to tell a man to stop doing what he does to earn a living?
And to repeat, Joyce, like Derek Chisora, who has also been asked to retire numerous times, ain’t listening anyway. It seems you can bet your bottom dollar that Joyce, who will turn 40 this summer, will fight again, that he will fight on, maybe for some time.
And Joyce is still capable of taking a good shot, and he can dig down and fire back with his slow-mo shots. But it seems there is almost no chance in hell Joyce will ever do what he said he would do as he went into the Hrgovic fight, and that’s “get back to the top of the division.”
Joyce, 16-4(15) hasn’t won a meaningful fight since back in September of 2022, this his brilliant win over Joseph Parker (a win, a stoppage win, that looks even better now when we consider what Parker went on to achieve afterwards), and there doesn’t seem to be too much snap on Joyce’s punches. But that could be the least of his problems. The wear and tear Joyce has on his body and brain will not go away, and future fights will only make things worse.
Joyce is a great guy, a warrior who is so easy to root for, and of course, it’s his life. Joyce is a born fighter, and he has done a lot to be proud of – Olympic silver medal winner, a willingness to fight just about anybody, former WBO interim heavyweight champ – but it seems his time as a major force in the division is over.
Hopefully, those close to Joe, those who care about him, will sit down and talk with him. If common sense is spoken, and if Joyce listens, we have seen “The Juggernaut’s” last rumble.
As for last nights winner, Hrgovic, 18-1(14) the 32 year old endured some shaky moments, and he suffered a cut eye. But Hrgovic got the win and he punched some life back into his career in doing so. Hrgovic even went as far as to call for a rematch with Daniel Dubois, who stopped him in eight bloody rounds in his last fight, in June of last year. There seems about as much chance of that fight happening as there is of Joe Joyce hanging up his gloves.
