Joe Joyce lost for a fifth time in his last six fights when halted by Artem Suslenkov on Saturday, and now fellow British heavyweight and former sparring partner Dave Allen has offered his thoughts on Joyce’s performance and recent form.

Following a knockout win over Joseph Parker in 2022, Joyce seemed set for a world title shot, given the fact that he held the WBO Interim strap, but back-to-back knockout defeats to Zhilei Zhang caused ‘The Juggernaut’ to lose both his belt and his momentum.

The previously granite-chinned Briton was unconvincing in a return to winning ways against Kash Ali in 2024, and he has since gone on to lose out to Derek Chisora, Filip Hrgovic and Suslenkov – who stopped him in bizarre fashion in Moscow at the weekend.

Speaking to The Stomping GroundAllen praised Joyce for giving him some of the hardest spars of his career and admitted that, at one point, he may have been the best heavyweight on the planet.

“I watched Suslenkov in December, he boxed Stanley Wright on an IBA show, I was over there and I watched it. Suslenkov is good, but Joe Joyce is one of the best fighters that I ever sparred, ever.

“We sparred on and off for about six years and we had some of the most heavy duty spars that you have ever seen in your life, I used to give him three [shots] and he would give me six back. I’d take six to give two or three back.

“He was hard as nails, he was so strong, he had the work rate and when he beat Parker, he might have been the best heavyweight in the world then, you know. Imagine Usyk trying to keep him off for 12 [rounds] at that point, that would have been a big ask for him.

“So, for me, at one point, Joe could have been the best heavyweight in the world. I love Joe Joyce, I have got so much respect for him, he is one man that I have never called out because he scares me, he is just an absolute beast!”

Yet, after watching the 40-year-old lose to Suslenkov, Allen labelled Joyce’s decline as ‘sad’, before insinuating that it is time for the Londoner to hang up the gloves.

“To watch him with Suslenkov, it was sad really. The writing had been on the wall because he has been weighing in at 20-stone plus.

“It is never for me to tell anyone else to stop boxing because people say it to me all of the time and I say ‘well, it is not your life, it is not your business’ but, with Joe now, Suslenkov is good but Joe Joyce at his best is not losing to Suslenkov. I don’t think he would have lost to Fillp Hrgovic either.

“It makes me really sad. I can only hope that he has got enough money to finish up and be happy with what he has got.”

Joyce is yet to announce whether he will fight again, but the overwhelming feeling from both fighters and fans is that he should prioritise his health and walk away from the sport.

Former world champions Carl Froch and Tony Bellew have offered conflicting predictions for the long-awaited showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

The two British heavyweights are set to collide later this year, just so long as they complete their respective warm-up matches against Mariusz Wach and Kristian Prenga.

First to the ring will be Fury, who, despite unanimously outpointing Arslanbek Makhmudov in Aprilis looking to bank more rounds against the 46-year-old Wach.

Or at least, that appears to be the plan for when they collide at the Max Muaythai Stadium in Pattaya, Thailand, on July 24.

Joshua, meanwhile, will face the unproven Prenga a day later in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, fighting for the first time since his sixth-round finish over Jake Paul in December.

There is no shortage of speculation about Joshua’s mental wellbeing, though, particularly after he was involved in a tragic car crash that took the lives of his two close friends.

Froch, for instance, is unsure that the 36-year-old still wants to box, telling Fight Your Corner that he sees Fury outboxing his rival.

“I think Tyson Fury wins on points, quite comfortably. He’s past his best, Fury – has slowed down. But so is AJ.

“I don’t think [Joshua will] be in the right headspace. I don’t really think he wants to box anymore.”

Bellew, too, remains unconvinced that Joshua is back to his best, but nonetheless believes that his friend has the power to render Fury unconscious.

“The only thing I can really commit to is … it ain’t going the distance. The reason I can’t put my hand on my heart and go, ‘I think [Joshua wins]’, is because I need to see [him] in a ring and see what he can do.

“If he gets in that ring and lets his hands go for six rounds … he’s got the capabilities to knock anybody out. That’s what I will be predicting.”

With Froch backing Fury on points and Bellew favouring Joshua by stoppage, it would appear that no one is quite sure how their domestic dustup will unfold.

“If Teo can’t make the adjustments to the mistakes that he made in the Shakur fight, because Teo was lunging in. He was relying too much on his athleticism, and he forgot the fundamentals. He forgot the jab. He forgot the check. He forgot the simple things that got him there,” said Rosado to Ring Magazine.

“Now, if he does that against Rolly, Rolly will make him pay because Rolly is fundamental. He’s a disciplined fighter. Rolly, he’ll just do the same thing over and over that’s working.

“It’s just mentally I want to see where Tio’s at. Athletic-wise, skill-wise, Tio’s the guy. He’s really that guy. But mentally, is he going to make those adjustments? Especially coming off a tough loss.

“The pressure is really on Teo. He has to come back, and he has to look like his old self, especially seeing where the chemistry is with him and his father in that corner. That’s going to play a big factor too.

“You can tell they were off in that Shakur fight. He’s getting yelled at. He’s not even getting yelled at instructions. He’s saying, ‘Where’s your power? Where’s the banana?’ That’s not a game plan. That’s not a strategy. But obviously they had a conversation, and hopefully they’re able to make the adjustment because I think if they’re in sync, it’s a problem.”

Rosado wasn’t alone in questioning Teofimo’s position. The panel noted that Romero enters the fight full of confidence after his victory over Ryan Garcia, while Teofimo is returning from the most one-sided defeat of his career. They also pointed to Romero’s move to welterweight as a possible turning point, arguing he looked stronger and more comfortable at 147 pounds than he ever did campaigning at junior welterweight.

The matchup pits two close friends against each other, but the Ring panel agreed the burden rests on Teofimo. A victory would reestablish him as a major force in a new division, while another loss would leave even more questions about whether he can regain the form that once made him one of boxing’s biggest stars.