Joe Joyce will face Carlos Takam on July 24
Like a number of heavyweights, Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce (12-0, 11 KO’s) has remained in limbo for the last several months. He was hoping to pen a bout with former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, but found himself ensnared in suspended animation. This was because Usyk was the WBO mandatory challenger for unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. Usyk was made to wait, along with Joyce, while Joshua attempted to make a super-fight with WBC World Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
The proceedings got moving in a major way once Deontay Wilder won his arbitration case with Fury. With that matter settled, Fury is now lined up to face Wilder and Joshua will take on his mandatory challenger in Usyk. Unfortunately that left Joyce without a dance partner. Thankfully the Juggernaut did not have to twiddle his thumbs in boredom for very long. It has now been announced that Joyce will face Carlos Takam (39-5-1, 28 KO’s) on July 24 at Wembley.
“Things happen and things change, I’ve kept myself ready. I’ve stayed off the donuts and the beer so I’m in good shape! I’ll be training like I was going to fight Usyk, but now it’s going to be Takam. His style is familiar, he’s not a southpaw, he’s orthodox, so I am confident in my abilities in this fight.”
“…that’s why I accepted the fight with Takam; he’s a good name, he’s a good experienced fighter and he’s strong. He always comes in shape, he looks good. I mean, look at him now on the poster! So yeah, it’s going to be a great fight on July 24.”
AN OLD, FAMILIAR FACE
Takam is a recognizable name and serviceable opponent who has fought great competition in his day. The major drawback with this reveal is the fact that the native Cameroonian is 40 years old and his best days are long behind him. Going a step further, Takam will not have fought for a solid year when he and Joyce lock horns. On the bright side though, Takam is enjoying a four-fight win streak, albeit against less than stellar competition. His last two major fights, against Dereck Chisora (2018) and Anthony Joshua (2017), both ended in knockout losses.
If Takam can defeat Joyce, he would inject a much needed jolt of life into his career. At this time he is not among the top fifteen fighters in any of the major sanctioning bodies’ rankings. For Joyce, this is little more than a stay busy fight to keep his skills sharp against a known adversary. Provided that he wins, he remains in an excellent position to challenge for a world title in the very near future. Joyce is currently ranked #2 (WBO), #6 (WBC) and #10 (IBF). Obviously, a loss or overtly bad performance would be catastrophic for the Juggernaut. So while he should prevail, this is not a fight that he should take lightly.
By: Bakari Simpson
