Joe Joyce staked his claim for a world title shot with an emphatic eleventh-round knockout win over Joseph Parker at the AO Arena in Manchester.
With an opportunity to face Oleksandr Usyk for the WBO heavyweight title on the line, both fighters entered the ring knowing that a win could propel them into the upper echelons of the talent-stacked heavyweight division.
In a gruelling affair, Joyce utilised his excellent cardio and relentless pressure to overcome Parker, and captured the WBO interim heavyweight belt in the process.
Speaking following the fight, Frank Warren hailed his fighter’s performance, and said that Joyce will get his opportunity to fight for a world title sometime next year.
‘He took some tremendous shots himself but at the end of the day I knew he’d get there.
‘We’re gonna move heaven and earth to make sure he gets a shot at the world title next year, and that will be in the UK.’
Coming into the ring at a career-highest weight of 271lbs, Joyce defied the often-repeated characterisation of him as a slow starter by immediately using his jab to force his more mobile opponent onto the back foot.
