There's a possible path for Joe Joyce to land an undisputed world heavyweight championship fight in the near future.
But to illuminate that road, Joyce must first defeat Carlos Takam. The heavyweights will clash Saturday at Wembley Arena. The bout comes at an interesting time as unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua fights Oleksandr Usyk on Sept. 25 and Tyson Fury faces Deontay Wilder in their trilogy bout with Fury's WBC title on the line Oct. 9.
The winners of those fights are expected to collide with undisputed glory on the line and the undefeated Joyce could very well find himself meeting the man with all the hardware if he handles Takam first.
"I've got a big test in Takam so I won't look too far ahead because this is a tough fight," the 35-year-old Joyce recently told Sky Sports. "I need to beat Takam up to make a statement so I can go on to win a world title. Takam gives it his all, and he's a hard fight. It might take a few rounds, it might take all the rounds, but I will get the job done then cruise on to a world title."
At 40, Takam is a seasoned veteran who has slugged it out with the likes of Joshua, Dereck Chisora, Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin, though he lost to all those heavyweights.
Will Joyce catapult himself toward a title shot with a statement win or will Takam prove that he still has quality rounds left to offer the sport as a result of an upset?
Here's everything you need to know about how to watch Joyce vs. Takam.
When is Joyce vs. Takam? Date, start time
- Date: Saturday, July 24, 2021
- Main card: 2:15 p.m. ET/7:15 p.m. BST
- Main event: 5 p.m. ET/10 p.m. BST
The Joyce vs. Takam main card blasts off at 2:15 p.m. ET/7:15 p.m. BST, before the headliners are expected to make their walks to the ring at 5 p.m. ET/10 p.m. BST.
What channel/stream is Joyce vs. Takam?
- US: Fite.TV pay-per-view
- UK: BT Sport 1
Fans in the United States can live stream the Joyce vs. Takam fight on Fite.TV pay-per-view for $12.99. Over in the United Kingdom, boxing fans can watch the fight card on BT Sport 1.
Where is the Joyce vs. Takam fight?
The Joyce vs. Takam main card takes place from Wembley Arena. Joyce and Takam have never fought at the famed venue.
Joe Joyce record and Bio
- Nationality: British
- Born: Sept. 19, 1985
- Height: 6-6
- Reach: 80 inches
- Total Fights: 12
- Record: 12-0 with 11 KOs
Carlos Takam record and Bio
- Nationality: French
- Born: Dec. 6, 1980
- Height: 6-1 1/2
- Reach: 80 1/2 inches
- Total Fights: 45
- Record: 39-5-1 with 28 KOs
Joyce vs. Takam main card
- Joe Joyce v Carlos Takam
- Chris Jenkins v Ekow Essuman; Welterweight
- Hamzah Sheeraz v Ezequiel Gurria; Junior Middleweight
- Chris Bourke v James Beech Jr.; Junior Featherweight