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Heavyweight contender Joe Joyce 13-0 (12) has tabbed WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury 31-0-1 (22) to retain his title in his mandatory defence against Dillian Whyte 28-2 (19) at Wembley Stadium in London on April 23.
The 36-year-old Joyce, who goes by the nickname ‘Juggernaut’, is a former sparring partner of Fury.
“Tyson is taller, longer reach so he’ll be working at range. Dillian needs to close the distance, work the body. I think Dillian Whyte – he could cause an upset, it’s heavyweight boxing. My personal opinion is Fury’s skillset will be on top for this fight,” Joyce said to the Daily Mail.
Fury, 33, has been down before in his career, most notable four times against big-punching American Deontay Wilder 42-2-1 (41) in two of their three fights. But Joyce is confident Fury can overcome any adversity he might face against Whyte the same way he did against Wilder.
“I’ll be surprised if Whyte knocks Fury out and he stays down, so I think it’s going to be a Fury victory,” Joyce continued. “Once he gets going, it’s very hard to get him off you. He can switch, he comes at different angles. With the Wilder fight he’s shown he’s got power as well. It’s a very difficult fight.”
Joyce sparred Fury in 2018 when he was preparing for his first bout against Wilder that ended in a controversial split draw.
“I spent some time with Tyson Fury when he was a bit overweight – I was on a training camp with Sam Jones at the time. We stayed with him and Tommy, Hughie and Peter Fury. I got to know the family,” Joyce said.
“I sparred him and then I spent more time with him while I was preparing to face Bermane Stiverne and got to know him a lot more. He’s at the top of the game and everyone wants to see who’s the best.”
Joyce is knocking on the door of a world title shot after signifigant victories over former WBC champion Stiverne, former world title challenger Bryant Jennings and rising star Daniel Dubois in the past three years. In his last outing in July, Joyce stopped another former world title challenger Carlos Takam in six frames.
Despite his friendship with Fury, Joyce says he would be willing to face him in the ring – or anyone else in the division for that matter.
“I’d definitely fight him. When I was with Team GB I spent a lot of years with [Anthony] Joshua, Frazier Clarke and [Daniel] Dubois,” Joyce said. “I consider everyone a friend but it’s a business and a sport at the end of the day. I’ll fight whoever is put in front of me. You have respect for each other, you get in the ring, try to knock each other out and after you shake hands.”
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