Tony Bellew hung up the gloves for good in 2018.
After winning a world title in the cruiserweight ranks and starring in some big British rivalries, Bellew stepped up to face elite Ukrainian and undisputed 200lbs champion Oleksandr Usyk in 2018.
Bellew, whom Usyk has praised as a smart fighter since the bout, boxed well in spells but the pace caught up with him and he was floored heavily in the eighth round. He later thanked the referee for ‘saving his life’, promptly retiring from the sport.
It’s a rare skill that trumps any in-ring experience to know when to call it a day, and Bellew, now an outspoken pundit, believes that time has come and gone for one Joe Joyce.
In an interview with Instant Casino after Joyce’s latest loss to Derek Chisora, the 41-year-old from Liverpool urged ‘The Juggernaut’ to retire before he was seriously hurt.
“Yeah, I did predict [Chisora] would win. I’ve thought Joe Joyce has been done for a while. I don’t think he’ll ever recover from the Zhilei Zhang fight. Joe’s greatest asset is his durability. Joe’s greatest asset is his toughness and the way he takes punches, that’s gone. When you’re getting dropped in fights, it’s just time for him to stop because he’s so slow and so predictable.
“It’s just an accident waiting to happen. So I hope Joe walks away because I don’t want to see him get hurt. He’s a lovely man. A lovely, lovely fella.”
Joyce was rising quickly in the heavyweight ranks in early 2023 before coming up against Chinese southpaw Zhilei Zhang. In their first bout, ‘Big Bang’ inflicted such damage to Joyce’s eye that the referee had to stop it. When he returned to London for the rematch, Zhang produced a thudding knockout of the year contender in the third round.
Joyce has since had a low-level win over Kash Ali but fell short against Chisora last time out on the cards after suffering a knockdown. He has confirmed that he will fight on.
