Joe Joyce’s manager not confident in July date for Dubois, could take stay-busy fight

Joe Joyce’s manager tells the Daily Mirror that he’s “not confident” his charge’s pivotal bout with Daniel Dubois will take place on its new date of July 11 and claims that Joyce will need to take a stay-busy fight if the wait becomes too long.

“It comes to a point where Joe will have been out of the ring for over a year so he needs to have a fight; he needs to have a run-out, whoever it is against. He needs to earn some money but at the same time he needs to dust the cobwebs off and get match fit. It’s the same for Dubois but he fought at Christmas and so he’s had a couple of fights since Joe last fought. He needs some rounds in the bank, and if he doesn’t fight Dubois next he needs to fight someone who won’t just fall over in a round.”

Jones also revealed a willingness to put the fight behind closed doors, which Frank Warren doesn’t share.

Joyce (10-0, 9 KO) turns 35 in September and hasn’t fought since taking a unanimous decision over Bryant Jennings last July. He really can’t afford to stay on the shelf until huge audiences are feasible again, which could easily be 2021.

That said, “someone who won’t just fall over in a round” gives me the grim thought of Joyce fighting Kevin Johnson after the latter’s blockbuster pay-per-view against Mariusz Wach. Anyone got some less horrifying options?