Joe Joyce: I should be the favourite – Daniel Dubois camp making a mistake overlooking me

BY MATT VERRI

Joe Joyce believes he is being massively underestimated ahead of his fight with Daniel Dubois on Saturday night.

The 35-year-old will be the underdog when he enters the ring, but intends to put a stop to Dubois’ smooth ascension through the heavyweight ranks.

One bookmakers had Joyce as a 3/1 underdog for the bout, which will be staged at Church House in Westminster.

And the former Earlsfield ABC amateur is even 9/2 for an inside-the-distance victory even though he has halted all but one of his 11 opponents.

“On paper I should be the favourite, but Dubois is going in with a journeyman according to the bookies,” Joyce told Behind The Gloves podcast.

“Frank Warren [Queensberry Promotions promoter] has pushed Dubois into this limelight, with all the showreels of him knocking out guys.

“It seems like they’re lining him up with a lot of other fighters, even though he’s got me in his immediate future. It’s a mistake to overlook me.

“He’s definitely explosive and strong, but I predict I’ll stop him. I could win on points, but I’d like to knock him out because of what he’s said.

“I’d like to take his scalp, and have no people arguing about it after the fight.”

Although it will be just his 12th professional bout, Joyce has a wealth of amateur experience to fall back on, including an Olympic silver medal, and feels those big occasions will serve him well.

“It’s easier when you’re young and fresh, you just want to do more and more,” he admitted.

“I have to be a bit wiser now with my training regimes, but with that comes experience – you know when to push yourself.

“Come fight night, you’ve done it loads of times and you can be comfortable going through your routine.

“I tend to deliver when I fight, and that’s what I plan to do again.”