“I will win!” Joe Joyce on Usyk and Fury

The “interim” WBO world heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg) Briton Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) held
conversation with a reporter from a news portal from Britain.

“Juggernaut” spoke about his preferences for the future big fight, spoke about the unwillingness of the unified champion from Ukraine Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) to box with him and commented on Usyk’s upcoming fight for the title of absolute world champion against the WBC title holder from Britain Tyson Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs).

– What would be your preference? We expect to see a duel for the title of absolute champion in February-March. With that in mind, would you rather fight Tyson in the UK or Oleksandr Usyk somewhere else in the world?

– Depends on who wins. If Fury wins, which probably will happen … I don’t write off Usyk, because he is a complex and skillful fighter, and I think he will give problems. But yes, ideally I would like to fight Fury next. Especially if he wins and becomes the undisputed champion. The fight for the title of absolute champion is going to be insane. And I also know that Usyk does not want to fight me, he says that I am like a tank. We just have to see what happens, and the heavyweight division is sometimes quite volatile. I just need to get a fight in March and move on to a bigger fight in the summer. And hopefully I’ll get in the ring against one of those guys.

– I did not see these comments of Alexander. Could you tell me more?

He talked about it in an interview. Someone asked him if he wanted to fight Joe Joyce next. He replied: “No, he’s like a tank” [смеётся]. I sat next to him at Fury’s fight with Chisora, but to be honest, I really had nothing to say to him. Yes, he is a good fighter, and let’s hope that I will have a rematch with him.

• “The contract is being finalized.” Fury’s promoter on Usyk fight

– When you were sitting next to him, were you not tempted to ask, or did you still have a conversation about a potential rematch?

“I didn’t really know what to say to him. We both watched boxing. You know, his English… I didn’t know what to say to him. [смеётся]. I sent him private messages on Instagram. It was before the fight with Joshua, when our names were not big. And he is so patient, patient. And then we saw him beat Joshua twice [смеётся]. Yes, this is a fight that I would like to have.

We expect Fury vs Usyk next. Take a look at the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight for me. How will it pass?

– I think in the early rounds, Usyk will not immediately get to work, as was the case with Joshua. I think in the first round they will try to look closely – what timing, where the blows come from. I think Usyk just needs to be close to Fury. And then – I don’t know. But Fury has good biting uppercuts. This is a risk. And he also leans in with body mass and makes it difficult for smaller fighters. So he can level. I guess Fury will certainly try to stay at a distance, but Usyk has head movement and footwork. And he can do it 12 rounds like he showed against Joshua. Fury throws a lot of punches and delivers them – that will cause problems. I think it will be a good fight and I’m very interested to see how it goes. You don’t know until you know until you see it [улыбается].

– Many people have a favorite Tyson. They feel like he’s using his height and reach as an advantage, which Joshua never did. With that in mind, do you feel like it would make a difference, or could it make a big difference?

— Yes, I believe in it. I think Joshua was better the second time around, but it still wasn’t enough. He was hitting the body, pressing, but it was too late, it was towards the end of the fight. If Fury starts to do it from the very beginning – he will wear him down, carry blows to the body and head, hang on him … Don’t forget about his arm span. He has striking distance. If Usyk stays close to him, then this can create difficulties. I think Fury needs to switch to southpaw and then jab. Then, of course, uppercuts will come into play if Usyk comes up. Yes, it’s an interesting fight. Both have been in this sport for a long time, and they are both at the highest level. It will be a good fight to watch, but I will win [улыбается].

• “A very difficult job for Usyk.” British coach on the fight between Alexander and Fury