Joe Joyce tried to play down his concerns after appearing to freeze while speaking during the Anthony Joshua-Daniel Dubois fight at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
The 39-year-old, who has made few public appearances since his shock defeat to Derek Chisora in July, spoke to TNT Sports about his future.
Joyce started off with some enthusiasm, saying, “Well, let’s fight, man, I need to get back in the gym and I’m on my way, man. I’m on my way…”
However, he then seemed to pause and looked confused, prompting his interviewer to break the awkward silence by saying, “Joe, it’s a pleasure,” and move on.
Fans were quick to react with concern, with @HeartBreak_J posting online: “Joe Joyce froze on air,” along with a melancholy emoji. People like @ChanChanChanZZZ went further, suggesting it was an all-too-familiar trend for the former World Boxing Organisation (WBO) interim titleholder.
“I recently watched a few miniature interviews with Joe Joyce,” he wrote. “And I have to say I am really concerned about his health, as he clearly has difficulty expressing himself.”
Instagram influencer @big_daddy_gman asked: “This isn’t even humorous, but it is humorous at the same time. What happened here, man?”
That question prompted Joyce, who has lost three of his last four professional fights following losses to Zhilei Zhang last year, to answer.
Sharing a clip of the interview on his Instagram Story, he said: “I SHOULD HAVE PREPARED WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY,” but that explanation will be deemed by fans as far from comprehensive.
Joyce was unbeaten in his first 15 professional fights before being stopped by Chinese star Zhang in February last year. Four months later he was knocked out in the third round of their rematch, a loss that seemed to end his world title hopes.
But after beating Kash Ali, his fight with Chisora in May was widely seen as a last chance to revive his career. Instead, it was his fellow veteran who was awarded an all-British fight, with the judges scoring it 97-92, 96-94, 96-94 in his favour.
Following the loss, Joyce’s manager, Adam Morallee, told Boxing Social that the 2016 Olympic silver medalist now faces a critical career decision. “It was a very, very tough, brutal fight for both of them,” he said.
“I think it will be a really tough task for Joe to find his way back to the top now, but given his career and eventual retirement, it is a question for him.
“There will always be fights for Joe Joyce, there will always be fights for someone who fights like that – who takes one to give another, there will always be.”