Joe Joyce lost to Filip Hrgovic in Manchester. The judges scored the ten-round fight unanimously for the Croatian boxer. This marks Joyce's fourth loss in his last five fights.
Joyce's recent run has been tough. In 2023, he suffered two back-to-back stoppage losses against Zhilei Zhang, losing his interim heavyweight title. He bounced back with a win over lower-level opponent Kash Ali, stopping him in the final seconds. But then he lost a close fight to Derek Chisora, who surprised many with his performance.
The British heavyweight was supposed to face Dillian Whyte in this fight. Whyte pulled out due to a finger injury. Hrgovic, a fellow Olympian, stepped in as a replacement with just five weeks' notice.
Hrgovic started strong in the first round. As the fight progressed, Joyce's pressure and output began to take over. The Croatian boxer looked tired and struggled with a cut eye in the middle rounds. However, Hrgovic's cleaner work and strong finish earned him a comfortable win on the scorecards.
After the fight, Joyce spoke to the media about his performance:
"I thought it was a close fight … It was great fight. It was tough getting in there and landing the shots. I seen his eye opening up so I was trying to go for that a bit and accumulate the punches. But he was good stepping back. I'll have to watch it back to truly critique my performance."
Despite the loss, the 39-year-old known as "The Juggernaut" isn't ready to hang up his gloves just yet. He added:
"Yeah, I'm still enjoying what I'm doing. I feel good. It's a tough sport."
Joyce might look to reschedule his fight with Dillian Whyte next. The heavyweight division remains competitive, and Joyce will need to regroup if he wants to stay in the mix at the top level.
