Joe Joyce vs Derek Chisora: Prediction and Tip
Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora meet in a huge heavyweight showdown in London on Saturday.
There are no titles at stake but careers could be on the line at the O2 Arena as a loss would be a huge setback for either of these two veterans.
Joyce (16-2, 15 KOs) returned with a win over Kash Ali earlier this year as the 38-year-old embarks on a rebuild following back-to-back defeats to Zhilei Zhang.
Chisora (34-13, 23 KOs) has lost four of his last six fights but the 40-year-old has recent wins over Gerald Washington and Kubrat Pulev on his CV and may feel he can still force his way back into the world title mix if he can overcome Joyce.
Tip 1 - Derek Chisora to win at 17/5
Chisora has been written off as a spent force at various stages in the last few years and his 2-4 record over his last half-dozen fights isn’t particularly encouraging.
However, it is worth noting that all four of those losses have come against top-level opposition and he was competitive in most of those bouts.
Chisora was comfortably outpointed by division king Oleksandr Usyk in the Ukrainian’s second heavyweight fight after stepping up from cruiserweight.
He then suffered back-to-back points defeats to Joseph Parker, one split decision and one unanimous. Parker is a former WBO world champion and has since beaten both Zhang and Deontay Wilder, while Chisora’s most recent loss was a 10th round stoppage at the hands of Tyson Fury in a fight where he offered very little.
However, Joyce is not Fury and he may struggle to cope with Chisora’s high pressure tactics.
Del Boy likes to come forward and that can leave him open but, if he is able to close the distance on Saturday, he could have a bit too much for Joyce.
Chisora has far more experience and has faced a higher standard of opposition over the course of his career, whereas Joyce looked one-dimensional at times against Zhang and was far too easy a target to hit.
Tip 2 - Derek Chisora to win by KO, TKO or Disqualification at SP
Chisora has not claimed a win inside the distance since a fourth round victory over David Price in a domestic dust-up back in 2019 — but he can end that streak against Joyce on Saturday.
Joyce was far too easy to hit when he faced Zhang and, in truth, his defensive skill set has never been particularly impressive.
That made no difference earlier in his career as his once-famed granite chin allowed him to take punishment and still claim wins — but the defeats to Zhang have demonstrated he can be hurt.
Joyce has a 16-2 record but turned professional late in his career and, at 38, he may have started to lose some of his punch resistance. Chisora is two years older than Joyce and has taken a bit of damage himself over the years but it doesn’t seem to have had a noticeable impact. The same cannot be said for Joyce.
Juggernaut underwhelmed against domestic level opposition in the shape of Ali, eventually grinding out a stoppage in the final round of that 10-round affair.
A similar performance against Chisora is unlikely to be enough to win here and Del Boy is the kind of fighter who could take advantage of a loss of confidence in his opponent.
The two-time world title challenger may not have picked up a stoppage win for a while but he has been in the ring with some real technicians in the last few years and Joyce just doesn’t have that level of skill — particularly when it comes to defence.
If Chisora is able to land with a few of his power shots he may be able to record an early finish here.
Tip 3 - Under 8.5 rounds at 8/11
Neither Joyce nor Chisora are master technicians and both will see a stoppage as their most likely route to a victory.
There is a chance we could see a cagey opening given just how crucial this bout is for the respective careers of these two heavyweights, but it is more likely that one or both will go hunting for a knockout from the off.
One good opening may be enough for either Joyce or Chisora to bring an early end to proceedings, so under 8.5 rounds looks a solid option in the total rounds market.