Joe Joyce predicts amazing career change when he quits boxing but won’t stop until he has won a world title
JOE JOYCE believes he could be an MP for Putney because he is so well versed in the politics of boxing.
The West London heavyweight cruelly lost out on a 2016 Olympic gold because of dubious judging.
But he has continued to thrive in a division dominated by Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and Deontay Wilder.
Joyce spoke about going to university to do a fine arts course.
Instead, maybe a career learned in boxing backchat has set him up for a career in politics.
Joyce told SunSport: “Again with the boxing politics, it seems to be the bane of my f*****g career.
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“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.”
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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 Joyce’s granite chin, relentless engine and thunderous power have made him a venerated veteran.
And the former rugby, diving and athletics ace and star student looks back on his old video nasties with pride, because it seems he can strike fear in the division.
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.
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“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.
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“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.”