Joe Joyce refuses to hang up his gloves despite losing five of his last six heavyweight fights. The aging Brit is drawing inspiration from Filip Hrgovic’s fast rise to the IBF title as he targets one final big payday.
The Juggernaut is pushing ahead. Turning 41 this September, Joyce has watched Hrgovic transform his career overnight. Hrgovic beat Joyce in April 2025 before stopping Moses Itauma in nine rounds to snatch the vacant IBF belt. Now the Croatian is in line for a blockbuster clash against the Daniel Dubois-Fabio Wardley II winner. That meteoric rise gives Joyce hope that one huge win can flip his own fortunes upside down.
Joyce made his stance crystal clear to IFL TV. He stated: “No, this is not the end. I want to pick when I retire, when I’m financially in a good place, and also when I’ve reached the heights or finished on a high. Right now, it’s not time for me to retire yet. I choose when I want to retire,”
The harsh reality inside the ring tells a tough story. Joyce was once an unstoppable force who walked through elite punches to break his opponents down. But Zhilei Zhang shattered that chin with back-to-back stoppage wins, removing the fear factor entirely. Rivals no longer back off. Artem Suslenkov proved that in July, standing his ground and knocking Joyce out in the 11th round.
Weight has also plagued the veteran. Joyce weighed a massive career-high 289 pounds against Suslenkov. He was slow, heavy, and easy to hit. Back in 2013, a lighter Joyce outpointed Hrgovic in the amateurs with speed and sharp combinations. Under trainer SugarHill Steward, dropping back down toward 260 pounds is a mandatory first step if he wants any chance of regaining his engine.
Promoters will not hand him a title shot right now. After five losses in six outings, he is firmly in gatekeeper territory. Younger prospects will view him as a famous target to add to their highlight reels. His only path back to the top involves shedding the extra weight, beating a domestic opponent, and seizing that single lucky break before time runs out.
