Joe Joyce reacts to Daniel Dubois being lined up for Usyk title shot before him
Joe Joyce admits it would be ‘annoying’ to see Daniel Dubois get a world title shot against Oleksandr Usyk ahead of him but expects his old rival to get the nod.
Usyk and Tyson Fury were on collision course to crown the heavyweight division’s first undisputed champion in 23 years in a fight that was scheduled to take place on 29 April at Wembley.
But after a chaotic 24 hours, the fight is off with the undefeated Ukrainian, who holds the IBF, WBO and WBA belts, now seeking a new opponent.
Talks with Dubois, who like Fury, is promoted by Frank Warren, are expected to begin this weekend with the 25-year-old Londoner the mandatory challenger for Usyk’s WBA title.
Dubois suffered the only defeat of his career to Joyce in November 2020, beaten into submission as he took a knee in the 10th round with his left eye battered shut as a result of the damage inflicted by the Putney fighter.
Dubois has picked up four wins since that defeat to get back on track, including a knockout win over Trevor Bryan to pick up the WBA ‘regular’ belt which effectively positioned him to challenge Usyk for the full title.
Joyce is also a mandatory challenger for one of Usyk’s three belts, rising to the summit of the WBO rankings and picking up their ‘interim’ version of the title last year after knocking out Joseph Parker.
The 37-year-old is in action against Zhilei Zhang on 15 April but could now watch on as a man he so comprehensively beat earn a crack at world title gold before him.
‘It would be frustrating,’ Joyce told Metro.co.uk. ‘But I wouldn’t be surprised, especially in this sport.
‘I’ve been [WBO] interim for a while, that surely should mean something. I’m there, I have the interim belt. It could even mean the possibility of being elevated to world champion if I don’t get my shot soon. But we will see.’
Dubois suffered a knee ligament injury in his last fight in December, recovering from three knockdowns in the first round to finish Kevin Lerena.
A timeline for his return to the ring is not yet known. Should Dubois not be ready, Usyk and his team will turn to the IBF’s mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic, another who is ahead of Joyce in the queue arranged by boxing’s four sanctioning bodies.
Like all boxing fans, Joyce watched Wednesday’s madness unfold on what was another frustrating and embarrassing day for the sport.
His next move at the top of the division was set to be largely dictated by who walked away as the winner from their undisputed clash, lined up for the WBO title with Fury naming him as a future opponent.
And on a day where boxing fans were robbed of a historic fight, Joyce shared those frustrations.
‘Just fight! We are in the sport to get paid, box and give people some entertainment so just do that,’ he said.
‘We can do undisputed here, that’s historic. And that opens the door for the fights for people like myself. There is a lot of stuff in motion here. Whatever the disagreement is, they are both earning silly money from it. Just get it done.’
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