Heavyweight contender Joe Joyce believes he would "bang out" Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch of their 2013 World Series of Boxing meeting.
Unified world heavyweight champion Usyk will rematch Anthony Joshua this summer in Saudi Arabia, although the fight now appears to have been delayed by two weeks. And Joyce believes that should Usyk get through his first title defence, he would "bang out" the Ukrainian.
He has faced both Joshua and Usyk as a younger fighter, getting stopped within a round by the Watford native in his debut before later facing the current heavyweight champion in a World Series of Boxing bout. Usyk comfortably won a decision in that bout, but Joyce insists that it would be a different story this time around.
"I'll be coming with a more skills," he told Boxing Social. "I have [coach Ismael] Salas by my side to set the gameplan and work on the skills etc. I didn't even get Southpaw sparring for the first fight I had with Usyk. I think that on the repeat, styles make fights and I reckon I'll bang him up."
Joyce has previously said that he feels Joshua is afraid of fighting him again, and he believes that his old rival will have to make "drastic changes" to beat Usyk in the rematch. He was comfortably outboxed on home soil last time out, and Usyk has switched to favourite for their second meeting that is now expected to take place in August.
"I thought as soon as the fight started with him and Usyk, Usyk went straight to work," Joyce explained. "He knew how to beat Joshua and now that he's already beaten him, to do it again will be kind of the same.
"That's unless Joshua makes some drastic changes, which I guess he did against Ruiz and then he can say 'three time'. But maybe it's all part of the plan, I don't know.
Do you agree that Joe Joyce could beat Oleksandr Usyk? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"It's a big ask, but let's see what happens. Joshua can obviously bang, he has fast hands and decent footwork. He fought the wrong fight when they fought first, he tried to outbox the boxer.
"I've said on multiple occasions he could have gone out there, roughed him up, walked him down and tried to knock him out. I think that's what he's going to have to try and do. It's alright saying that, but actually going in the ring with someone that skilled [is different].
"I've been in the ring with Usyk and I felt like I put on a better performance, actually, Chisora put on a great performance against Usyk. That was much closer than the one against Joshua. So I think it will be a repeat unless Joshua can do something drastically different and just nail him down."
