Drama is unfolding in the heavyweight division as Delicious Orie delivers a scathing assessment of Joe Joyce's time in the ring. The British boxer has been left reeling by a string of defeats – and Orie believes his compatriot's best days are firmly behind him, saying he's 'overstayed his welcome'.
Joyce was once an unstoppable force in boxing, boasting a sparkling record that included wins over top-notch opponents like Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker, and Carlos Takam. His impressive start to his professional career earned him 15 victories on the trot – but things took a drastic turn for the worse in 2022. This year alone has seen him stumble from one defeat to another: a solitary win against Kash Ali was sandwiched between back-to-back stoppage losses to Zhilei Zhang, followed by three points defeats to Derek Chisora and Filip Hrgovic – culminating in a recent stoppage loss to Artem Suslenkov this month.
Orie, 29, has had his say on Joyce's career trajectory. Speaking candidly to The Independent, the former boxer acknowledged Joyce's remarkable talent, saying: "I'm going to be honest: I think he's overstayed his welcome." When pressed on whether he thought Joyce should hang up his gloves, Orie quipped: "If you were to ask me, if I was Joe Joyce, I would have stopped about six years ago." His words echoed a sentiment that many are echoing in the boxing community – that it's time for Joyce to consider retirement.
But why does Orie believe Joyce has overstayed his welcome? The 29-year-old points to a telling decline in form: "It's slowing down, and it's so obvious." His own decision to retire from boxing after just one professional fight last year was no impulsive move – he'd been questioning whether he had the drive to give 'absolutely everything' for the sport. "When I started to think, 'I don't think I'm going to give quite enough,' that's when it's time to pull out," he said.
Orie stressed that ultimately, only Joyce knows what lies in his heart – and if the 40-year-old still has a fire burning within him, then who are we to tell him to stop? "If Joe Joyce doesn't have real intrinsic motivation to do anything else, why should he stop boxing at that level?" Orie questioned, highlighting the personal nature of such a significant career decision.