Eddie Hearn’s prediction: Joe Joyce’s reduced punch resistance leads to expected knockout by Philip Hrgovic within four rounds

The promoter Eddie Hearn predicts that heavyweight contender Filip Hrgovic Joe Joyce will beat out on Saturday, April 5 at the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester, England.

Joyce: Worn?

Hearn feels that Joyce’s punching resistance has diminished from his two knockout losses to Zhilei Zhang and the thousands of rounds of sparring he has done over the years. He notes that the bumps used by veteran Derek Chisora ​​to injure 39-year-old Joyce in their battle on July 27 would never have done so earlier in his career.

Saturday’s Joyce against Hrgovic event is displayed Live on dazn. The main card starts at 2pm ET/11:00 PT, and the main event ring runs around 5pm ET/14:00 pt.

“He had a very close battle with Derek Chisora. Without the knockout (in round nine) it would have been very close,” Promoter Eddie Hearn said The bumpy ground About Joe Joyce’s recent loss of 41-year-old veteran Derek Chisora ​​on July 27 last year.

“Derek Chisora ​​is now the compulsory for the (IBF heavyweight) world title. He just beat Otto Wallin. (Hearn makes a face and gives his mind that Derek is the IBF compulsory to fight for a world title.)”

The shots with which Joyce was hit against Chisora ​​were thanks to him to fight too close, definitely open himself and be slow. He fought him wrong. A quick fighter would have destroyed Chisora ​​on the inside, but Joyce is so slow at this stage of his career that he was vulnerable.

It was still a close battle with the result determined by the ninth round Chisora ​​recorded, but Joyce should not lose to that level of a fighter. At best, he would have beaten any version of Chisora.

Punch resistance

“The problem is with some fighters, and Joe is a good example. Joe has always been slow in the ring. He has never looked like this sensational, competent fighter,” Hearn said. “In the past he was very tough, he could clap, he is a big lump, and he has a big chin. As his career progressed, his punching resistance changed.

“Shots that injured him against Chisora ​​would never have injured him before. The two (Zhilei) Zhang defeats, the thousands of rounds of heavy sparring were a problem.

Joyce was knocked out twice in the first round in 2013 during his amateur career in 2013. However, he could return from the coal losses and avoided being knocked out again until he met with Zhilei Zhang in 2023.

There is no shame to be knocked out by a big puncher like Zhang, because he would have done the same to Anthony Joshua if he contacted him with similar bumps. Zhang is the only man who stopped Joyce in the prose. In the defeat of the Juggernaut against Chisora, he was never the danger of being knocked out. He was dropped in ninth place, but it was more a flash.

HRGOVIC’s form

Hrgovic says Joyce is now ‘old’, does not look good and must ‘retire’ after their fight this Saturday night. Of course, Philip is in the same boat, after being knocked out in his last fight and injured in his match against Demsey McKean on August 12, 2023.

Hrgovic hit his last fight and knocked out by Daniel Dubois on June 1 last year. If Joyce can stay around long enough to land his heavy shots, he might wear Hrgovic to get a standby. Dubois is also not the fastest man, but he forced the pace at Hrgovic who carried him.