Former world super lightweight champion Ricky Hatton has warned both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury that there could soon be another Brit in the world title mix in boxing’s biggest division: London-born Joe Joyce.
The 35-year old moved to 13-0 in July with a sixth-round stoppage of Carlos Takam, a man who Joshua beat on short notice back in 2017.
Joyce isn’t shy in demanding what he wants either, telling the post-fight coverage on BT Sport: "what I want is AJ or Usyk! I don’t need any more tests."
He could well be right, having beaten some stern opposition on the way to his current record.
Hatton’s belief in Joyce is born out of the performance against Daniel Dubois, which saw Joyce win by 10th round knockout over his compatriot.
“He’s a nightmare for anyone with that style and that left jab of his”, said Hatton in his regular boxing column for Metro.
It’s not just Joyce’s style that makes Hatton sit up and take notice either, with the Mancunian stating “his punch resistance is freakish, the shots seems to just bounce off him”. And in a division renowned for its devastating one-punch power, that could well be the attribute that sets him apart from the rest of the challengers.
Hatton's son Campbell has recently begun his own pro journey, and is 3-0 so far for Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn.