Joe Joyce set to return to action against heavyweight boxer who was once banned for six months for BITING opponent

JOE JOYCE is set to return to the ring in March against a man that was previously banned for six months for BITING David Price.

The 38-year-old is looking to bounce back from a nightmare 2023 that saw his heavyweight world title dreams suffer a crushing blow.

The Juggernaut was dealt a first career defeat when he lost via TKO to Zhilei Zhang in April in the sixth round.

Joyce cashed in his rematch clause to face the giant Chinese star again - but this time the bout only lasted until the third round before he was knocked out.

That left the Olympic silver medallist's career hanging in the balance, but instead of retiring, it has now been confirmed that he will step back into the ring.

Joyce, who is 15-2, looks set to make his return on March 16 in Birmingham against Kash Ali, according to several reports.

His 31-year-old opponent has a record of 21-2 but is most famous for the shocking incident back in March 2019.

The boxing world was left stunned when Ali was disqualified in the fifth round of his fight against Price in Liverpool.

He first appeared to nibble Price’s shoulder in the third round while the pair were clinched against the ropes.

Then, as he trailed on the scorecards going into the fifth, Ali was enjoying his best stint of the fight but soon found himself on the receiving end of a sustained attack by his Liverpudlian opponent.

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And in a desperate attempt to recover, Ali grabbed Price and clinched him to the ground - but when the two fell to the floor, the Birmingham man bit him again, this time on the stomach.

Referee Mark Lyson immediately disqualified Ali, with the shamed star then confronted by an enraged thug and showered with beer by furious fans while being escorted out the arena by security.

Ali is believed to have sank his teeth into Price at least four times during the bout and he would later admit his “embarrassment” while publicly apologising.

The disgraced fighter return to the ring that November and beat Artur Kubiak via TKO.

Ali went on to win his next five fights but suffered defeat last time out in July when he lost on points after six rounds with Bohdan Myronets.