British Olympic medallist Joe Joyce has revealed how difficult Tyson Fury was to face in sparring, even as the lineal heavyweight champion ballooned in weight.
34-year-old Joyce, who took silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, joined Fury in the ring when the ‘Gypsy King’ weighed “30 stone.”
Fury, 31, struggled with mental health and addiction issues following his 2015 victory over Wladimir Klitschko, in which he unified the heavyweight division.
The undefeated Fury’s Saturday rematch with Deontay Wilder could see the 31-year-old reclaim the WBC belt he vacated a year later.
Many thought Fury won the duo’s first bout in December 2018, controversially ruled a draw by judges, and the heavyweight’s remarkable comeback came as no surprise to Joyce.
“I first sparred him in Bolton when he was 30 stone or something,” Joyce told VegasInsider. “But I still couldn’t hit him. He was doing rope-a-dope on the ropes, slipping my shots.
“I took it a bit easy on him because he was so out of shape, but he could still dance rings around me even then,” he added. “When he gets into a rhythm he comes at you from mad angles. His flicker jab is so fast.”
Fury was put down twice by knockout artist Wilder in their first clash, which remains one of only two bouts in the American’s 43-fight career that have gone the distance.
And Joyce warned the Fury camp that the explosive Wilder might secure a stoppage at his second attempt.
“Tyson may out-box Wilder but if he makes a mistake he’s going to get caught,” said Joyce. “The second time Wilder fights a person he is a different beast, very patient like a sniper as he waits for his opportunities.”
Joyce will face the biggest fight of his three-year professional career in April when he takes on fellow undefeated Brit Daniel Dubois at the O2 Arena, and the 34-year-old gave his prediction on how the showdown may go.
“If Dubois manages to hit me with a punch from the gods early then it’ll be a Dubois win,” he admitted. “If not I’ll take him into the trenches, take him into deep water and drown him. I can definitely outpoint him, I throw more punches, but I have a feeling I’m going to knock him out earlier than maybe people might expect.”
Joyce reacted angrily to comments Dubois made about his mother, who is registered blind, at a media conference for the fight earlier this month.
“It just exposes his character, taking the piss out of someone’s blindness and someone’s mum at the same time,” he said. “The comment makes me think a lot less of him as a person.”
