The tension is heating up between British heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Joe Joyce.
The two large heavyweights are very familiar with each other – with the two boxers knowing each other from their amateur days as members of Team GB.
Joshua captured a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic games, while Joyce picked up a silver medal at the 2016 games.
In a recent interview, promoter Frank Warren, who guides the career of Joyce, suggested the idea of having his boxer collide in the ring with Joshua.
Last September, Joshua was outboxed over twelve rounds by Oleksandr Usyk, who walked away with WBO, IBF, IBO, WBA heavyweight titles.
He exercised an immediate rematch clause, but the second encounter is now in limbo – as Usyk returned to his home country of Ukraine to assist the local military with the ongoing invasion by Russia.
In order to stay busy, Joshua will eventually have to take an interim fight.
Joshua reacted to the suggestion of facing Joyce – advising everyone on social media that he would end Joyce’s unbeaten run in one round.
“I boxed Joe and stopped him in 1 round. I’d do the same thing today! Ain’t nothing changed,” Joshua stated.
It took nearly a week, but Joyce eventually took to social media to fire back.
“And Anthony Joshua you [are] having a meltdown, where’s all your belts? All those sponsorships and endorsements helping? You’re a glass cannon, quit the act, you were given everything,” Joyce said.
It didn’t take long before Joshua fired back: “It took you 5 days to think of this…”
In his last fight, back in July of 2021, Joyce overcome some resistance before securing a stoppage victory over division veteran Carlos Takam in the sixth round.