The official weights are in for tomorrow night’s British heavyweight showdown between Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora. The two men took to the scale earlier today, with “Juggernaut” Joyce coming in at a hefty but solid-looking 281.2 pounds, and with “War” Chisora scaling a good few pounds less than his opponent at 256.7 pounds. Chisora too looked solid and in shape.
Watch the fight live on ESPN+ and TNT Sports in UK. The event will begin at 7 p.m. UK / 2 p.m. ET with the ringwalks for Joyce vs. Chisora scheduled for 10 p.m. UK / 5 p.m. ET.
Chisora, often capable of who knows what at a weigh-in or at a press conference, kept it cool today, but he did raise a few smiles due to the face mask he wore of Zhilei Zhang, Zhang of course is the only man to have beaten 38 year old Joyce in the pro ranks. 40 year old Chisora then donned his customary glasses and full-face Union Jack scarf, and the two fighters engaged in a quite lengthy stare-down. There is no bad blood here, not really, the two having mutual respect for one another.
Of course both guys want to win tomorrow – Joyce so he can move forward, he hopes into a world title shot at some stage, Chisora so he can exit the sport he has been such a fine servant of with a win. Chisora has said tomorrow’s fight will be his last. Fans hope for a good, action fight, yet at the same time there is concern regarding how much sheer physical damage these two hittable, somewhat stationary targets may inflict on each other. Fans are indeed braced for an X-rated ring encounter with this one.
Both men have predicted a KO win, and this fight does look set to end way before the final bell. Joyce, 16-2(15) and just one win removed from those two, back-to-back KO defeats at the hands of “Big Bang,” is the heavier puncher of the two, but how much did those two losses take from his confidence? Chisora, 34-13(23) and having last fought back in August of last year, has always shown a good dig and a reliable chin, but how much has Chisora got left? How much has Joyce got left?
Both men are ready to rumble.
Pick: Joyce, a slow starter, gets into his groove after two or three rounds that see him ship some shots, with “The Juggernaut” rolling over Chisora in the seventh or eighth round.
(ESPN+, 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT)
• Joe Joyce 281.2 lbs. vs. Derek Chisora 256.7 lbs
(Heavyweight — 12 Rounds)
• Ryan Garner 129.4 lbs vs. Archie Sharp 129.1 lbs
(Garner’s WBC International Junior Lightweight Title — 10 Rounds)
• Moses Itauma 239.8 lbs vs. Mariusz Wach 287.4 lbs
(Itauma’s WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Title — 10 Rounds)