Joe Joyce against Derek Chisora is certainly an intriguing fight and despite them being 38 and 40 respectively, it still promises to be an exciting contest – a kind of winner stays on!
Obviously, Joe had a bad 2023 with two defeats to Zhilei Zhang, but he was back to winning ways against Kash Ali. Derek won his last fight too, getting the better of Gerald Washington.
It’s hard to picture where the loser of this fight goes. Derek’s been an unbelievable servant to the game, but I can’t imagine him ever fighting for a world title again. If he loses this one, that would be his 14th defeat, and the sad thing is he’d then probably get fed to prospects. That would be the only way for him to go.
It’s the same for Joe really, but he’s only got defeats to the same man, and there’s no shame in that. That said, if he loses, that’s the end of him as a serious challenger for a world heavyweight title in my opinion.
Joe Joyce has never been the best starter of a fight, and he is there to be hit. Before Zhang, I thought ‘The Juggernaut’ was a great nickname as it looked like he couldn’t be knocked out. Shots just used to bounce off him, but once someone like that gets knocked out once, it can happen again.
In the first Zhang fight, he didn’t get knocked out, but he did get buzzed on numerous occasions. The second fight, he was knocked out viciously. That’s the worry. Against Kash Ali, he got hit too much but with the greatest respect, he’s not the biggest puncher. With Chisora, there’s no doubt he hits harder than Ali.
Derek’s best chance is in those first three or four rounds. You’ve got to make him a live underdog in those early rounds. I think Derek’s got to gamble and start very fast and let big shots go from the first bell – bowling shots over the top when Joe comes in with the jab.
Del isn’t the fighter he once was and what Joe has done in the past is burst a fighter’s lungs by making them work. I think he’ll look to apply pressure from the start and work behind the jab. He’ll look to drive Derek back, putting him on his heels and keep chipping away to head and body.
I don’t think this can be anything other than a good fight – the styles will gel and there’ll be exciting moments for both men. Both fighters will get hurt, but I think Joe’s jab could be the difference and lead to him taking over.
Although his punch resistance may have faded a little, I still thing Joe is that little bit fresher. The smart money is on Joe wearing Derek down and I’m confident he’ll stop Chisora in the second half of the fight.
Freebets.com ambassador Anthony Crolla is a former World lightweight champion who now trains and manages a busy stable of top fighters at his gym in Manchester. Along with coaching, ‘Million Dollar’ is a regular face across the tv networks, working as a pundit for the big fight nights.
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