Veteran wannabe heavyweight contenders square off when Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora enter the ring for a 12-round bout in London on Saturday, July 27. With both fighters at an advanced age this bout more than likely represents one last chance for the winner to make a push for world championship. Within the division there really is no place for the loser to go. Making things more interesting is that both fighters are Londoners and discussions for an encounter have allegedly been taking place for a number of years.
With the details worked out the two will face each other with plenty on the line. Former holder of the WBO interim heavyweight title, Joyce lost consecutive bouts and his title to Zhilei Zhang last year, his only two professional defeats. In March Joyce recorded his 15th KO and 16th win ending his drought. Joyce opened as a big -400 favorite against the two-time championship challenger Chisora, who saw his early betting line at +300.
Joe Joyce vs. Derek Chisora Betting Odds
Joe Joyce -400
Derek Chisora +300
The 12-round heavyweight fight between Joe Joyce ( 16-2, 15 KOs ) and Derek Chisora ( 34-13, 23 KOs ) is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at O2 Arena in London, England. The fight will stream line on ESPN+.
Joe Joyce vs. Derek Chisora Fight Preview
Early in 2023 Joyce was in the conversation to be included in upcoming world title fights. In September 2022 he scored an 11th round KO of Joseph Parker to claim the vacant WBO interim heavyweight title and run his professional record to 15-0. In a twist of irony Parker was coming off consecutive decision wins over Chisora. Prior to that Joyce KO’d three-time European heavyweight titlist Christian Hammer and padded his resume with stoppage wins over Carlos Takam and current IBF heavyweight champ Daniel Dubois.
Things were moving in an upward direction for Joyce until he met another contender Zhang in April 2023 in his first title defense. In a modest upset Joyce lost by TKO in the sixth round when the continued barrage of heavy hits from his opponent caused swelling above his eye. The hulking Zhang used his size to design a blueprint on how to beat Joyce.
Exercising the automatic rematch clause, Joyce looked to avenge his first professional loss again tangling with Zhang a little over five months after the initial bout. Things actually went worse for Joyce dropping him further down the heavyweight rankings. In an effort to counter Zhang’s size, Joyce added more than 20 pounds for the rematch and it appeared to slow him down. He couldn’t break free to take advantage of his power and instead took a brunt of the blows eventually going down in the third round.
In March Joyce returned to the ring and although he didn’t look his best he got back in the win column stopping IBF European heavyweight champion Kash Ali in the 10th round.
If experience counts for anything Chisora likely has a good shot at the upset. Over his 17-year professional career he’s dueled 47 times winning 34 of them. And he’s gone toe-to-toe with some of the best in the business, including former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury three times. Unfortunately Chisora lost all three bouts, the last in 2022 when he challenged for the WBC strap for the second time.
Much like Zhang, Chisora is a big man that can withstand the onslaught of his opponent while also inflicting some damage with jabs and counter punches. But he did look his age when tangling with Zhang and had an uninspired 10th round stoppage of former world title challenger Gerald Washington in his most recent fight.
Bet Joe Joyce vs. Derek Chisora
After what both fighters have done recently it’s hard to see Joyce favored by as much as he is. He is two years younger and has fewer fights on his resume. But it’s not the quantity rather the quality, and Joyce has wins over stronger opponents while Chisora is searching for a marquee victory. And Chisora has lost four of his last six fights showing that age is a factor now that he reached 40. I think Joyce has slipped a bit as well, but not as much as his opponent. It hasn’t been two years since Joyce became the first to stop Joseph Parker, a result that leads me to back the favorite.
Boxing Odds Pick: Joe Joyce / KO
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
Check out the latest odds at BookMaker
