"Are you not entertained?" The question had been bellowed out before by heavyweights Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois, but in those instances the crowd had a unanimous — and positive — answer.
This time around, following Joe Joyce’s fourth defeat in five outings at the hands of Filip Hrgovic on Saturday night, the near-capacity audience inside Manchester's Co-op Live arena seemed to be taken aback, and responded with a confused murmur. It was as if Joyce (16-4, 15 KOs), now 39, was the last one in the room to notice the elephant standing behind him. An elephant in the shape of retirement.
It’s an awkward conversation in boxing. Few other professions allow such discourse to flourish behind the protagonist's back like it does in the fight game, though it's also rarely done out of disrespect. The heavyweight division is a double-edged sword, deemed the pinnacle of the sport, offering the biggest purses and prizes to those who partake, but as ever, with big reward comes bigger risk. With a seemingly endless pit of money now on offer to those fighters who are able to entertain, the allure to stick around for tomorrow’s fight is too tempting to pass up. The thing is, when tomorrow comes, it becomes today.
There has been concern around the health of Joyce for a number of years now. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist's speech can often seem slurred and his responses to interviewers' questions slow and confused. He has never been the most charismatic in front of the camera — and that is fine — but his appearances are becoming more and more awkward to the viewer.
“That’s just how Joe is,” the people in Camp Joyce will caveat as each interview concludes.
We have become conditioned and numb to seeing fighters struggle later in life due to punishment handed out to them over bruising careers; chewed up, spat out and often left to pick up their own pieces with limited help. But to be confronted by the apparent struggles of an active athlete forces more imminent questions. While the pundits and casual pint-drinkers down the local pub may feel like we have the answer, ultimately it’s the fighter’s inner circle and fighter themselves who will have the final say. It may, then, become apparent who has made it into that circle for the right reasons.
Joyce’s style in the ring doesn’t help his cause. Since turning pro in 2017 he has fought like his moniker suggests, a "Juggernaut," walking forward, willing to take six punches in order to land seven. His punches are destructive but easily telegraphed, and the division seems to have collectively worked out what, ...
