Joe Joyce makes heavyweight return – Kash Ali confident of springing upset

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Joe ‘Juggernaut’ Joyce makes his return to the heavyweight ranks on Saturday when the former WBO world interim champion faces Kash Ali in Birmingham.

The 38-year-old former Earlsfield ABC amateur, from Putney, is looking to bounce back from successive stoppage losses to Zhilei Zhang.

Joyce lost his title to the hard-hitting Chinese southpaw when he was halted in the sixth round in April 2023. He activated a rematch clause option but was KO’d in the third round at Wembley Arena in September.

Joyce had been 15-0 heading into the first Zhang encounter and the losses have pushed him well down the pecking order for meaningful bouts.

Zhang no longer holds the WBO belt after being outpointed by Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia last weekend.

It underlines the unpredictability of the weight class that Parker was knocked out by Joyce in September 2022 but has gone on to win his last five as he has benefitted from greater activity and the tutelage of coach Andy Lee.

Solihull’s Ali (21-2) has only fought twice since September 2021. He was disqualified for biting David Price in 2019.

Ali told Queensberry Promotions’ The Lowdown: “People are writing me off but I’m not concerned about that.

“The pressure is on him. I’m the underdog. He’s had his fair share of good wins and good paydays. He can probably put his feet up and relax. It’s the end of him and although I’ve been a pro a long time this is the start for me.

“It’s about testing myself and this is a brilliant opportunity.

“We’ll find out (what Joyce has left) when I land one on his chin. Right now everyone can say what they want but it was only his last fight he got knocked out – the first loss was stopped on the cut. Zhang is a big heavyweight and he got hit with a big shot. He was out – but that’s the heavyweights.”

Joyce had been lauded for his durability prior to facing Zhang, essentially often walking through barrages of punches to land his own.

The question is whether the punishment taken during his career has eroded his chin.

“I’m there to beat him – I’ll be prepared for all outcomes,” said Ali. “They possibly chose me (as an opponent) because they are maybe looking past me.

“I am coming off a loss (to Bohdan Myronets) and on paper I have not really boxed anyone at world level. I’ve got some decent wins on my record but not anyone like Joyce or in the top-10 in the world.

“They have given the wrong man the right opportunity.

“I’ve matured as a man (since the Price incident) – that was a hiccup in the road.

“People have opinions about everything. What I did was wrong. I paid the price for it – it was a heavy price. I was 26 or 27 then and I was a bit young in the head. I lost my dad six or seven months before that, I probably wasn’t in the right place mentally.”