Joe Joyce Wants Rematch With Oleksandr Usyk

Oleksandr Usyk has his eyes on Tyson Fury and Canelo Alvarez before he bids farewell to the sport, but Joe Joyce wants a scrap with the unified heavyweight champion before he retires.

Joyce, who knocked out Joseph Parker last weekend in Manchester, wants to have a rematch with Usyk with their titles on the line.

Joyce beat Parker via knockout in the eleventh round and has had his eyes on the Usyk fight ever since. The Ukrainian star beat him back in 2013 when both boxers were amateurs.

Joyce has become the mandatory challenger to Usyk after winning the vacant WBO interim title last weekend.

“If Usyk doesn’t want to fight me then he has to vacate the belt and then I get elevated to full champion. From there, I can defend the belt,” Joyce said in an interview with Sky Sports News.

“I think I would start to get to him [if we fight],” Joyce warned, “if I can keep the pressure up. He is a very skilful fighter, but at this level, it’s all going to be tough from here on in.”

Recalling his fight with Usyk in 2013, the Brit claimed that the result will be different this time around.

“This time I would be more prepared and have a proper training camp geared towards him. It’s over 12 rounds with smaller gloves and I’ve come a long way since then. It was a long time ago. It takes 10 years to reach sporting excellence. I’ve surpassed that and I’m still learning, so it would be a great fight over 12 rounds.”