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‘I came so, so close twice’: Joe Joyce uses Derek Chisora ​​fight to get back into contention

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Joe Joyce sighs with regret as he thinks about the IBF world heavyweight title fight between his English rivals Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua on September 21.

Joyce was the WBA mandatory challenger after defeating Bermane Stiverne in 2019 but never got a title shot. He then became the WBO interim champion — and next in line for a world title shot — by stopping Joseph Parker in September 2022, before suffering two straight defeats to Zhilei Zhang.

“I’ve been this, this close twice,” Joyce told ESPN from his Las Vegas training camp with trainer Ismael Salas. “Once with the WBA, then with the WBO. Only in heavyweight boxing [that] Dubois came up from the IBF right away and I thought, ‘What’s going on?’ I just have to beat whoever’s in front of me and pray I get the chance I deserve.”

Joyce (16-2, 15 KOs) has lost his career while others have passed him to fight for a world title. One of those fighters is Dubois, whom Joyce defeated by KO in 2020. However, Joyce’s losses to Zhang have forced him to remain outside the top 10 in three world governing body rankings, and ninth in the WBC.

Joyce, 38, who turned pro after winning a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics at age 31, could gain momentum if he defeats Derek Chisora ​​(34-13, 23 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday (ESPN+, 2 p.m. ET). A win could put him one step closer to a spot in the lucrative fights currently being staged in Saudi Arabia. Joyce’s loss of status comes just after Saudi money began pouring into boxing last year, but he hopes to repair the damage done to his career, as Dubois and Joshua have done.

Joyce, from Putney, south-west London, stopped Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), 26, in round 10, breaking his left eye socket. But Dubois got back into position to challenge Oleksandr Usyk for the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles a year ago.

Dubois’s spirited effort ended in a ninth-round knockout loss, but he revived his career with victories over Jarrell “Gigantic Baby” Miller and then Filip Hrgovic. He stopped Hrgovic by cut for the interim IBF title and was elevated to full title reign when Usyk announced in June that he was relinquishing the title to face Tyson Fury in a rematch instead of Hrgovic, his mandatory challenger. (Usyk, the WBC, WBA, WBO champion, fights Fury on Dec. 21.)

Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs), 34, has also rebounded from setbacks, losing twice on points to Usyk in 2021 and 2022.

Joshua, a two-time world champion, has since reeled off four wins and looks to be in sensational form ahead of his IBF title fight with Dubois, which will take place in front of a likely sell-out crowd at Wembley Stadium in London.

“I beat Dubois, and everyone thought AJ was out after losing to Usyk,” Joyce told ESPN. “But [Joshua] he showed that nasty right hook in his last fights and he’s on top again. Dubois is back too. He lost to me and Usyk and now he’s [the] The IBF champion and I were like, “What?!” It’s a rollercoaster ride. It shows you how quickly things can change. One or two wins can change the rankings and title fights.

“I went to Las Vegas to get the best training. I’m sure my team will get me fights.”

Joyce, who turns 39 in September, remains positive about his future in the sport; after all, his opponent on Saturday, Chisora, is 40, while Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) is 41. Zhang, who is from China but lives in Fresh Jersey, knocked out Joyce in three rounds last September. That defeat came just five months after Joyce lost the WBO interim title to Zhang via sixth-round knockout.

“Chisora ​​was a professional when I first started boxing,” Joyce said. “He’s giving it his all and it’s not going to be an simple fight. People have been waiting for this fight for ages.

“Besides, there are great fights for me. I’m not done yet, I have more to offer to this sport. I boxed [for] 16 years elderly and I have many years left. I had some awkward fights with Zhang, but now I’m back. There’s still a lot of time left before I hang up the gloves.

Although the fights with Zhang didn’t go his way and prevented him from fighting for the title, Joyce spoke highly of Zhang’s skills in the ring. But he’s putting that behind him and looking to the future.

“Zhang is a good fighter, he is a threat,” Joyce said. “He is precise, robust in the backhand and clumsy as a lefty. I have waited a long time, [the] WBO mandatory champion, so I gave Zhang a chance and sometimes that happens. I won my last fight with Kash Ali [by KO10 in March] and a great fight awaits me.

“Everyone has an opinion about me and people like to nitpick, especially comments, and sometimes I find them biased. I think I can prove to everyone that I am still a giant by name and nature.”

Frank Warren of Queensberry Promotions, Joyce’s promoter, says Joyce has a chance of large fights if he beats Chisora, who has suffered four defeats in his last six fights, including a 10th-round knockout to Fury in a 2022 WBC title fight.

“What’s next for Joe depends on the outcome of this fight,” Warren told ESPN. “I thought Derek Chisora ​​should have retired a few years ago, but he’s back, and because of his age, the loser of this fight is at the bottom. If Joe gets beaten by Derek, I don’t know where he goes. But Joe doesn’t have the miles on the clock like Derek. Joe got hurt badly in the Zhang fight in their first fight, but then he got a large knockout in the second fight and he needs a good win.”

“Remember, Joe beat Joseph Parker in September 2022, and look where Parker is now after beating Deontay Wilder and Zhang. The way the heavyweight division is right now, you can turn your career around in a couple of fights.”

Warren said that with three belts on the line in December at Usyk-Fury 2 and another on September 21 in the Dubois-Joshua fight, he believes Joyce could fight the winner of the Dubois-Joshua fight.

“Either way, it would be a great fight for the whole of Britain and Joe has experience of fighting both of those opponents. [Joyce used to spar with Joshua as an amateur.] I hope it’s Dubois, of course. That would be a great rematch, especially after their fight ended with Dubois getting seriously injured.

Joyce has a college degree in fine art and enjoys painting when she’s not boxing. But she’s focused on boxing for a while longer as she tries to get back to bigger opportunities.

“I definitely want to get back into the studio and have my own studio someday, but right now I just want to do the best I can in boxing,” Joyce said.

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Boxing

Tyson’s conqueror, Danny Williams, was “never considered” for Morrison

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Kenzie Morrison Danny Williams

World Boxing News has learned that Danny Williams was never considered for a fight against Tommy Morrison’s son Kenzie on November 9.

WBN has learned from a source that Williams was scheduled to face Morrison next month when he returns to action at Firelake Arena in Shawnee. However, promoter Tony Holden confirmed what WBN initially reported, namely that Williams had been offered for the fight.

BoxRec also briefly placed Williams within Morrison’s record on November 9, before removing the former British champion. Williams famously knocked out Mike Tyson in 2004, but has since lived off his victory despite losing his British license more than a decade ago.

Holden, who represents Morrison and is looking for an opponent for the competition in three weeks, explained the situation exclusively to WBN.

“I never confirmed William’s story and I never considered him,” Holden said. “I said no when a local promoter suggested it.”

Williams, 51, last fought in August 202, losing for the 33rd time in his career. With 88 professional fights under his belt, Williams seems unable to turn down a payday despite his advanced age.

Morrison, a power puncher who has stopped 19 of his 21 wins, will look for his next conquest elsewhere. The fight with Mike Balogun remains on the table for 2025 after it was postponed from its original October date.

Balogun, who knocked out Kenzi’s brother Trey in the first round, claimed Morrison was pulled from the fight to spare him the loss.

Holden denies this view.

“Even though this post isn’t up to my standards, I’m going to write it anyway. Mike Balogun falsely claimed that I pulled Kenzie Morrison out of the fight because I was afraid he would lose. Please allow me to correct you, Mr. Balogun,” he stated.

“The decision was not made by Kenzie. Let’s raise the stakes and make it fascinating. If you emerge victorious this month, Kenzie will fight in November.

“We may decide this early next year. If your confidence remains unshaken, we can place a significant bet. Watch Kenzie take revenge on her brother and end your career.

Balogun, a former San Francisco 49ers linebacker, responded to Holden by increasing his salary for a potential collision next year.

“No matter how fair and honorable your decision was, just remember that ‘yesterday’s price is not today’s price,’” said the 2010 undrafted pick.

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Andrew Moloney is confident that if given the chance, he would have beaten Phumelele Cafu and Kosei Tanaka

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Andrew Moloney (left) attacks Pedro Guevara – photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Few people were more disappointed than Andrew Moloney when Kosei Tanaka lost his WBO super flyweight belt to Phumelele Cafu at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Monday night.

The 33-year-old Australian veteran was hoping to get a shot at beating Tanaka in the lucrative Japanese market.

Those dreams were dashed when South Africa’s Cafu delivered the performance of his life, knocking out Tanaka in the fifth round and finishing the fight strongly, beating the four-weight world champion by split decision.

“The plan was to target the WBO and really chase the Tanaka fight, but it all fell apart on Monday night,” Moloney (26-4-1NC, 16 KO) told The Ring. “I think the WBO is probably still the direction we go, but I’m not sure if they have a rematch clause or if Tanaka will take it. But after watching the fight yesterday, I would be really confident that I could fight one of these guys and win. We would like to follow this path.

“I would love to fight Tanaka in Japan as a four-division world champion. He’s definitely someone I’ve looked up to and wanted to fight for a long time.

“Last night was a little hard to watch. The way he performed, I’m more confident than ever that I have what it takes to beat Tanaka.

I assume there will be a rematch and I hope that Tanaka will regain the belt and I will be able to return to the ring and climb the rankings, and maybe this fight will still happen.

Tanaka entered Moloney’s orbit four years ago when he debuted at 115 pounds. Earlier this year, it looked like they were also on a collision course, with Moloney being number one in the WBO rankings. However, when an offer was made for the vacant IBF lightweight title fight between Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr. in May in Perth, Western Australia, Moloney felt he couldn’t turn her down.

This decision ended in disaster. Moloney faced Carlos Cuadras, who withdrew from the fight with a ruptured Achilles tendon and was replaced by Pedro Guevara. Moloney entered the fight with a torn bicep and was largely reduced to boxing with one hand, which circumscribed his punching power.

Still, Moloney felt he did more than enough to win, and was shocked when Guevara was declared the winner by split decision. He was so disappointed that he announced immediately after the fight that he was leaving the ring, but a few days later he withdrew these comments.

It was a breakthrough moment in his career.

“Looking back, it’s a wonderful thing, but watching the Tanaka-Cafu fight made me think that maybe I would do a lot of things if I could turn back time a little bit,” Moloney explained.

“Before my last fight, I was number one in the WBO rankings and I rejected the option of waiting to fight Tanaka. But the opportunity arose to fight Guevara in Australia for the interim WBC title on a major card, and to be candid, I kind of regretted that the Tanaka fight was hanging in the balance, but ultimately we decided to stay busy and take the opportunity to fight in Australia.

“Also, the injury before the fight was another thing I thought about: will I undergo surgery, keep the top spot and wait for Tanaka, but I made the decision to go ahead with the fight with Guevara. Looking back now, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. And looking at the way Tanaka fought last night, I thought maybe I should have waited. I’m sure I could beat Tanaka and take the belt away from him.

“So I take some consolation, but unfortunately you can’t turn back time.”

It’s been a frustrating year for Moloney, but he’s still hitting the gym and his team is working to get him another fight. The window of opportunity to box again this year is closing quickly, but he still hopes to return to the ring in December, most likely in his native Australia.

“I really hope so,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been working on. I have been training strenuous at the gym for some time, quite a few months. I hope to return before the end of the year.

“At this stage it will probably be December. I’m trying to block something, but so far no luck. I’m still training away as if the fight was to take place in December, the team is currently working on it and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to finish it.

“I just hope we can get out before the end of the year, get back into the winner’s circle and start climbing the rankings again.”

Moloney, who fought at bantamweight for the first three years of his professional career before dropping down to super flyweight, surprisingly, said he would even consider moving up to another weight class given the right opportunity.

“It’s a tough time in the super flyweight division,” said Moloney, the eighth challenger to The Ring’s 115-pound title. “There’s a lot going on and it’s always strenuous to plan which route to take because everything changes so quickly. I’d pick Bam Rodriguez to beat Guevara, then there’s talk of a rematch between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez on Up-to-date Year’s Eve. And then there’s talk of Bama, if they win, fighting the winner of that game in unification. The WBO seems to me the fastest way to win the title, so that’s the path we will follow.

“We have also rejected for some time the idea of ​​moving up to flyweight and getting crack there. There’s also some engaging scene going on there right now, but it’s still uncertain. I’d probably feel a little better at super flyweight, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Cafu and Tanaka, but like I said, I’d feel comfortable and confident against either of them, so hopefully he can make it it will happen sooner rather than later.”

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Doubts that fuel 19-year-old Benjamin Johnson

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Despite an impressive amateur resume, welterweight Benjamin Johnson of Springdale, Maryland, enters the professional ring with a shoulder injury.

Johnson will face Kevin Pantoja in a four-round fight at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Maryland, promoted by his trainer Lamont Roach Snr’s NoXcuses Promotions. The fight will be broadcast on Saturday on ProBox TV.

Johnson, 1-0 (1 KO), spent just 2:23 in the ring in his professional debut, displaying the quick, aggressive hands that won him multiple national titles. However, 19-year-old Johnson feels an advantage, believing he is being overlooked by his NoXcuses Boxing Gym teammates.

Pantoja, 1-1, 27, has never stopped being a professional – Johnson aims to change that.

“People underestimate me,” Johnson said. “It’s been like that since I was an amateur.”

He added that this underestimation increases his motivation in the gym. Johnson is determined to prove his worth not only to himself, but also to those who doubt him or, worse, don’t recognize him. “I never felt like I was recognized as that guy, so I feel like I’m underappreciated,” Johnson said of his amateur and now professional career.

Johnson sees the fight as a key step in his career, compared to feared forward David Benavidez by some teammates and touted by others as one of the most ready-to-fight prospects in the country.

“I train as much as I can,” Johnson said. “It’s about making a statement. The way you win shows people what you’re capable of, and I’m ready to show my best.

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