Heavyweight Joe Joyce denied he had any health issues after going viral due to his inability to process thoughts during an interview.
Joyce was doing the media rounds after witnessing former opponent Daniel Dubois battering Anthony Joshua from pillar to post at Wembley. ‘The Juggernaut’ had previously stopped Dubois before witnessing his rise to becoming a world champion and assured fans he was merely trying to take it all in.
Several fans revealed their worry after watching Joyce get ‘brain fog’ or ‘freeze‘ when attempting to answer a question. Some even thought Joyce had problems due to being punched in the head so many times.
Calming the situation, Joyce told talkSPORT, “As many people may have seen, I was so shocked and lost for words after the fight. I was very lost for words. During the whole event, I was trying to process what I had just witnessed.
“I didn’t have to do them interviews, but after I’d done one, I did more and more. But on that particular one, I really didn’t know what to say at all. I was processing it all, as you say I was ‘loading…’ or whatever.”
Joe Joyce. A man of few words! pic.twitter.com/QQqCDRcD0V
โ Tokkerลซ (@ATokkers5) September 22, 2024
On the performance on Dubois, a man he’d made ‘quit’ and ‘take a knee’ in 2020, Joyce added, “I think he’s improved over the years since then.
“But he’s always been a threat. If he hits you cleanly, you are really going to feel it. That showed on the night because he got in there and landed a peach of a shot. It got Joshua in trouble very early, and he was shaken up, which helped.
“I knew someone was getting knocked out, but I was only originally edging Joshua due to experience.”
Joyce is on the road back from two defeats, losing to Zhilei Zhang and Derek Chisora when on the cusp of a world title shot. It could be a long road back for the Olympic silver medalist, who is eyeing up a revenge mission against Tony Yoka next.
Frenchman Yoka, also in poor form, controversially beat Joyce in Rio eight years ago. With both out of sorts, Yoka vs. Joyce is the most logical fight for promoter Frank Warren and his French counterparts to make.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
