Joe Joyce Says He’s Right Back In The Picture Once He Gets Interim Belt Back

Joe Joyce knows he can get right back into the title conversation once he reclaims his interim heavyweight title.

Joyce triggered his immediate rematch clause with Zhilei Zhang following the Brit suffering a sixth-round TKO loss back in April to lose his WBO interim heavyweight title. It was also his first loss and after the defeat, there was no question that he would trigger the rematch, as he knows being the interim champ sets him up for big fights.

“Once I get this interim title back, I’m right back in place to fight for [the IBF, WBA and WBO] titles,” Joyce told BoxingScene.com. “It was very important to fight Zhang again right away.  Once I regain that title, I’m right back in the mandatory position.”

Currently, Joe Joyce vs. Zhilei Zhang are set to rematch on Sept. 23 in a massive fight for Joyce’s career. If he loses, his time as a potential title contender is over. But, a win, gets him right back into the conversation to face the likes of Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.

However, Joyce knows Filip Hrgovic will likely be next for Usyk, but he hopes a win over Zhang will allow him to get the winner of that fight.

“Obviously it will be the IBF and Hrgovic next for the mandatories,” acknowledged Joyce. “Then after I regain the belt and my mandatory ranking, it will be my turn. That’s what makes the rematch so important. I needed it to get back in place to become heavyweight champion of the world.”

Joe Joyce is currently 15-1 as a pro and coming off the TKO loss to Zhang and before that, he scored a KO win over Joseph Parker. In his career, he also holds notable wins over Christian Hammer, Carlos Takam, and Daniel Dubois.

Do you think Joe Joyce will win the rematch?