NEWS: JOYCE HOPES FOR SUMMER SHOWDOWN WITH FURY-USYK WINNER, TALKS JOSHUA FIGHT

By: Jay Calderon

Undefeated Heavyweight contender Joe Joyce is hoping to have a massive 2023.

While nothing has been formally mapped out for Joyce, 15-0 with 14 KOs as a professional, the Londoner hopes to get out in the first quarter of the year.

"I'm planning to have a fight in March, while all the others are taking a fight," Joyce said to Sky Sports.

"The others" Joyce refers to would be the champions of the division in WBC titlist Tyson Fury and unified world champion Oleksandr Usyk.

After Fury's most recent defense of his portion of the gold, a stoppage win over Derek Chisora earlier this month, Fury was quick to begin promotion for his next event. He immediately called out Usyk, who was ringside, in hopes of hyping up a 2023 encounter. However, things turned more intriguing when Joyce joined the pair, and potentially interjected himself into the title picture.

Now, while the teams of Fury and Usyk continue to negotiate a deal, Joyce hopes to remain busy before stepping up to the biggest challenge of his career.

"For the summer [fight, I plan to] go for a big one, like Usyk or Fury," Joyce declared. "I'll be ready because I'll have had one at the beginning of the year to get me going."

To be truthful, either fight for the talented big man would have it's own intrigue.

With Fury, Joyce would face a fellow unbeaten Brit with all the gold on the line in perhaps England's biggest fight in ages. On the flip side, Joyce has history with Usyk, with the latter having earned an amateur win over the former. A chance for Joyce to avenge himself as well as his country -- should Joyce face Usyk after Oleksandr has presumably vanquished Fury -- could certainly add storylines to an already interesting contest.

Joyce also discussed a potential showdown with fellow Londoner and former world titlist Anthony Joshua, another man that holds an amateur victory over Joe. Joyce claims Joshua has been bragging about that win and he hopes he can "right them wrongs" as professionals.

"[Joshua] never mentions my name (as a potential opponent) for some reason," Joyce said. "I don't know if he's going to want to take [a potential fight with me], but maybe the public's going to call for it, the fans are going to call for it eventually and get it made..."

Frankly, this would be another interesting fight at Heavyweight. Considering there might not be a title on the line when it occurs, you could argue it's one of the better non-title fights at Heavyweight in many years. And considering Fury and Usyk could be tied up a while if their are potential rematches in order, Joshua-Joyce is a massive fight that could take place within the coming year.

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