Joe Joyce stops Carlos Takam in the fifth round!
While serving as the main event, heavyweight boxer Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce (13-0, 12 KO’s) secured a major win. Joyce was able to stop veteran fighter Carlos Takam (39-6-1, 28 KO’s) in the sixth period of their showdown. With the win, the Juggernaut has become the mandatory challenger for the winner of the Anthony Joshua versus Oleksandr Usyk bout. For a lengthy clip of time, it was looking like Joyce would fight Usyk straight away. Yet, that was before the WBO ordered Usyk to test his might against Joshua.
Heading into this fight, few thought that Takam could win, yet most believed that he would put up a great fight. This is essentially how the event played out in the ring. Takam, ranked #14 (WBC), is known for his strength and endurance. Fortunately for Joyce, with neither on display, Takam could not thwart the Juggernaut who is ranked #2 (WBO), #5 (WBC) and #10 (IBF). Takam began with gusto that seemed to deplete as the fight wore on.
NOT AS EXPECTED
For the better part of it, Joe Joyce had a good first round. As would be imagined, he came out and began trying to establish his very long and effective jab. In large part, he was successful in this endeavor and this had Takam fighting going backwards for the entirety of the round. Yet, it should be noted that Takam had his good moments, as well. In fact, Takam connected with roughly five significant overhand rights that seemed to bother Joyce. The second looked near identical to the first round only Takam strung together more thumping shots in the final moments of the period.
Takam continued to fight at a great pace through the beginning of the fifth. When delivering his offense, he remained very dedicated to body shots. By the end of the fifth, Takam’s output dropped in an awful hurry. Then to start the sixth, Joyce hit and wobbled Takam with a stunning left hook. Seeing that his man was hurt, the Juggernaut jumped on his foe and smothered him in punches. Even though the Cameroonian was impaired, he was fighting back and behaving as if he still had his faculties. Regrettably, referee Steve Gray chose to jump in way too early and halt the bout.
When he saw that the prizefight was being stopped, Takam raged with anger. On the one hand, Joyce was able to pick up the win and learn a few more tricks. On the other hand, this was far from the showcase performance that the Juggernaut was looking for. The amount of clean shots he was eating is a problem that he needs to button up immediately.
By: Bakari Simpson
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