Joe Joyce will have another shot at a heavyweight title opportunity when he faces Derek Chisora at the O2 Arena in London this Saturday.
Joyce (16-2, 15 KOs), at 38 years old, is a former mandatory challenger for the WBA and WBO titles. Despite his impressive victories over Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker, and Bryant Jennings, his two career losses â both by knockout to Zhilei Zhang last year â have prevented him from achieving a world title shot.
âIâve been so, so close twice,â Joyce, a heavy favourite according to ESPN BET, told ESPNâs Nick Parkinson this week. âI just have to beat whoever is in front of me now and pray I will get the opportunities I deserve."
Chisora (34-13, 23), 40 years old, is a veteran of the heavyweight division, known for his trilogy against Tyson Fury, which he lost all three times. His other defeats have also come against top contenders, including Vitali Klitschko, David Haye, Dillian Whyte, Joseph Parker, and Oleksandr Usyk.
This clash is crucial for both fighters. A win could open doors to bigger fights, while a loss might mark the end of their careers.
Meanwhile, in Detroit, Claressa Shields aims to become a four-division champion when she challenges Vanessa Joanisse for the WBC heavyweight title.
Shields (14-0, 2 KOs), at 29 years old, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2012 and 2016) and one of only three boxers in history (alongside Usyk and Terence Crawford) to be undisputed champion in two weight classes. She currently holds the middleweight title and previously held the junior middleweight title. Shields also boasts a former unified super middleweight championship.
Joanisse (7-1, 2 KOs), also 29 years old, previously challenged Alejandra Jimenez for the WBC heavyweight title in 2017 but lost via third-round TKO. After a six-year hiatus from boxing, she returned last year and has secured four consecutive victories, including a split-decision win against Abril Argentina Vidal in March, which earned her the WBC heavyweight title.
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Where to watch Joyce vs. Chisora:
The Joyce-Chisora fight card will be streamed on ESPN+ at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The main card features three bouts:
Joe Joyce vs. Derek Chisora, 12 rounds, heavyweights
Ryan Garner vs. Archie Sharp, 10 rounds, junior lightweights
Moses Itauma vs. Mariusz Wach, 10 rounds, heavyweights
The undercard includes:
Dennis McCann vs. Ionut Baluta, 12 rounds, junior featherweights
Raven Chapman vs. Yohana Sarabia, 10 rounds, women's featherweights
Sean Noakes vs. Inder Bassi, 10 rounds, welterweights
Royston Barney-Smith vs. Brian Barajas, 8 rounds, junior lightweights
Umar Khan vs. Kaddour Hmiani, 8 rounds, featherweights
Brandun Lee vs. Juan Anacona, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
Aadam Hamed vs. Georgi Velichkov, 4 rounds, junior welterweights
Jermaine Dhliwayo vs. Engel Gomez, 4 rounds, lightweights
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Where to watch Shields vs. Joanisse:
The Shields-Joanisse fight card will be available on DAZN at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday. The full card includes:
Title fight: Vanessa Joanisse vs. Claressa Shields, 10 rounds, for Lepage-Joanisse's WBC heavyweight title
Michel Rivera vs. Hugo Alberto Roldan, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
Shohjahon Ergashev vs. Julian Smith, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
Ernesto Mercado vs. Hector Edgardo Sarmiento, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
Danielle Perkins vs Christianne Fahey, 6 rounds, women's middleweights
Samantha Worthington vs. Edina Kiss, 8 rounds, women's junior welterweights
Cameran Pankey vs. Shaileik Paisley, 6 rounds, featherweights
Gordie Russ II vs. Josiah Shackleford, 6 rounds, junior middleweights
Husam Al Mashhadi vs. TBA, 6 rounds, junior middleweights
Jaquan McElroy vs. Travis Floyd, 4 rounds, middleweights
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Other Boxing Fights This Weekend:
On Saturday in Melrose, Massachusetts, CombatSportsNow.com will be broadcasting a fight card starting at 7 p.m. ET featuring:
Andrii Novytskyi vs. Keith Rydell Mayes Jr., 10 rounds, heavyweights
Joseph Adorno vs. Pablo Ernesto Oliveto, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
Nicholas Molina vs. Lucas Alejandro Mignoni, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
Nicolas Tejada vs. Javier Torres, 6 rounds, junior welterweights
Jarrid Digangi vs. Bruno Saraiva, 4 rounds, cruiserweights
Jonathan Delgado vs. John Medina, 4 rounds, junior welterweights
Douglas Marroquin vs. Alfred Raymond, 4 rounds, middleweights
Malik Jackson vs. Zenon Herrera, 4 rounds, super middleweights
Andrew Perez vs. Max Da Silva, 4 rounds, cruiserweights
For a comprehensive list of boxing events, consult the ESPN boxing schedule.