Joe Joyce lost for a fifth time in his last six fights when halted by Artem Suslenkov on Saturday, and now fellow British heavyweight and former sparring partner Dave Allen has offered his thoughts on Joyce’s performance and recent form.
Following a knockout win over Joseph Parker in 2022, Joyce seemed set for a world title shot, given the fact that he held the WBO Interim strap, but back-to-back knockout defeats to Zhilei Zhang caused ‘The Juggernaut’ to lose both his belt and his momentum.
The previously granite-chinned Briton was unconvincing in a return to winning ways against Kash Ali in 2024, and he has since gone on to lose out to Derek Chisora, Filip Hrgovic and Suslenkov – who stopped him in bizarre fashion in Moscow at the weekend.
Speaking to The Stomping Ground, Allen praised Joyce for giving him some of the hardest spars of his career and admitted that, at one point, he may have been the best heavyweight on the planet.
“I watched Suslenkov in December, he boxed Stanley Wright on an IBA show, I was over there and I watched it. Suslenkov is good, but Joe Joyce is one of the best fighters that I ever sparred, ever.
“We sparred on and off for about six years and we had some of the most heavy duty spars that you have ever seen in your life, I used to give him three [shots] and he would give me six back. I’d take six to give two or three back.
“He was hard as nails, he was so strong, he had the work rate and when he beat Parker, he might have been the best heavyweight in the world then, you know. Imagine Usyk trying to keep him off for 12 [rounds] at that point, that would have been a big ask for him.
“So, for me, at one point, Joe could have been the best heavyweight in the world. I love Joe Joyce, I have got so much respect for him, he is one man that I have never called out because he scares me, he is just an absolute beast!”
Yet, after watching the 40-year-old lose to Suslenkov, Allen labelled Joyce’s decline as ‘sad’, before insinuating that it is time for the Londoner to hang up the gloves.
“To watch him with Suslenkov, it was sad really. The writing had been on the wall because he has been weighing in at 20-stone plus.
“It is never for me to tell anyone else to stop boxing because people say it to me all of the time and I say ‘well, it is not your life, it is not your business’ but, with Joe now, Suslenkov is good but Joe Joyce at his best is not losing to Suslenkov. I don’t think he would have lost to Fillp Hrgovic either.
“It makes me really sad. I can only hope that he has got enough money to finish up and be happy with what he has got.”
Joyce is yet to announce whether he will fight again, but the overwhelming feeling from both fighters and fans is that he should prioritise his health and walk away from the sport.
