Promoter Eddie Hearn predicts that heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic will knock out Joe Joyce “inside three or four rounds” this Saturday, April 5th, at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
Joyce: Worn Down?
Hearn feels that Joyce’s punch resistance has diminished from his two knockout losses to Zhilei Zhang and the thousands of rounds of sparring he’s done over the years. He notes that the punches that veteran Derek Chisora used to hurt the 39-year-old Joyce in their fight last summer on July 27th would have never done that to him earlier in his career.
Saturday’s Joyce vs. Hrgovic event will be shown live on DAZN. The main card starts at 2 pm ET/11 am PT, and the main event ring walks at approximately 5 pm ET/2 pm PT.
“He had a very close fight with Derek Chisora. Without the knockdown [in round nine], it would have been very close,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to The Stomping Ground about Joe Joyce’s recent loss to 41-year-old veteran Derek Chisora on July 27th last year.
“Derek Chisora is now the mandatory for the [IBF heavyweight] world title. He just beat Otto Wallin. [Hearn makes a face, giving his thoughts on Derek being the IBF mandatory to fight for a world title.]”
The shots that Joyce was getting hit with against Chisora were due to him fighting too close, leaving himself open defensively, and being slow. He was fighting him wrong. A faster fighter would have destroyed Chisora on the inside, but Joyce is so slow at this stage of his career that he was vulnerable.
It was still a close fight with the outcome determined by the ninth round knockdown that Chisora scored, but Joyce shouldn’t be losing to that level of a fighter. At his best, he would have beaten up any version of Chisora.
Punch Resistance
“The problem is with some fighters, and Joe is a good example. Joe has always been slow in the ring. He’s never looked like this sensational, skilled fighter,” said Hearn. “In the past, he’s been extremely tough, he can whack, he’s a big lump, and he’s got a great chin. As his career has progressed, his punch resistance has changed.
“Shots that hurt him against Chisora would have never hurt him before. The two [Zhilei] Zhang defeats, the thousands of rounds of heavy sparring have been a problem. If you want a prediction, he [Joyce] will get well-beaten on Saturday, and it’ll be inside three or four rounds, I think,” said Hearn.
Joyce was knocked out twice in the first round during his amateur career in 2013. However, he was able to come back from those KO losses and avoid getting knocked out again until he met up with Zhilei Zhang in 2023.
There’s no shame in being knocked out by a huge puncher like Zhang because he would have done the same thing to Anthony Joshua if he connected with similar punches on him. Zhang is the only guy who has stopped Joyce in the pros. In the Juggernaut’s defeat against Chisora, he was never in danger of being knocked out. He was dropped in the ninth, but it was more of a flash knockdown.
Hrgovic’s Form
Hrgovic says Joyce is “old” now, not looking good, and needs to “retire” after their fight this Saturday night. Of course, Filip is in the same boat, having been knocked out in his last fight and hurt in his match against Demsey McKean on August 12, 2023.
Hrgovic took a beating in his last fight, getting knocked out in the eighth round by Daniel Dubois on June 1st last year. If Joyce can stick around long enough to land his heavy shots, he might wear Hrgovic down to score a stoppage. Dubois isn’t the fastest guy either, but he forced pace on Hrgovic that wore him down.
Last Updated on 04/03/2025
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