Joe Joyce remains interested in a potential rematch with Daniel Dubois, describing it as “an attractive option” following their first encounter in 2020.
Dubois suffered serious damage in that fight and was counted out, but has since gone on to become a two-time heavyweight world champion with victories over Anthony Joshua and Fabio Wardley. Joyce himself held the WBO Interim heavyweight title after dominant wins over Dubois and Joseph Parker, but back-to-back losses to Zhilei Zhang derailed his momentum. The 40-year-old Joyce has also been defeated by Filip Hrgovic and Derek Chisora in recent bouts, and is now looking to rebuild his career against Artem Suslenkov on July 11 with eventual return to world-level competition in mind.
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Former Olympic heavyweight gold medallist Audley Harrison has urged exciting prospect Moses Itauma not to rush into a World title fight with Daniel Dubois.
“It’s always an attractive option,” Joyce told Sky Sports. “Before I took Zhang, which was obviously a bad decision, I was WBO Interim [champion] off the back of beating Dubois and Parker. So it’s just like a bit of a mistake that I’m going to rectify now.”
Having suffered defeats to Zhang, Hrgovic, and Chisora, Joyce acknowledges he must focus on Suslenkov first. “I’ve got to deal with what’s in front of me first before looking too far ahead,” he said. “The motivation is getting the win and getting back in there and putting in a dominant performance. I’ve made some changes and I’m training hard and getting ready for that fight.”
Joyce insists he can overcome a year of inactivity, stating: “It’s just boxing. I’ve been training, I’ve been learning this year, I’ve been putting in the work so I’m ready to show you what I’ve learned.”