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Frank Warren would cheerfully match any heavyweight he promotes against Anthony Joshua, not just Tyson Fury.
“I think Joe Joyce would knock him out,” Warren said during an interview posted to Queensberry Promotions’ YouTube channel. “As soon as he catches him. He will walk through him.”
Warren admitted that Joyce will have a challenging foe on Saturday night at London's Copper Box Arena. Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) will fight formidable Chinese challenger Zhang Zhilei (24-1-1, 19 KOs) in the main event of a show that will be broadcast on BT Sport 1 in the UK and Ireland and streamed on ESPN+ in the US.
Warren wouldn't think twice about pairing Joshua with the 2016 Olympic silver medalist if Joyce, 37, wins and keeps his WBO interim heavyweight belt.
“I mean, they wanna pick up the phone and talk to us about that, we’ll do that immediately, if Joe comes through,” Warren said. “Remember, Joe’s the interim champion, so he’s the gatekeeper to the mandatory [position], the WBO mandatory. He is the gatekeeper for that fight. So, if anybody wants it, they know what they’ve gotta do. They’ve gotta fight him. And if Joshua wants to get himself into that position, we’ll gladly, gladly accommodate him for that. I can speak on behalf of Joe because Joe has told me he wants the fight.”
London's Joyce has made a name for himself in the heavyweight division by displaying a rock-solid chin, incredible stamina, a reliable, stiff jab, and devastating power.
At AO Arena in Manchester, England, on September 24, 6-foot-6, 270-pound Joyce defeated former WBO champion Joseph Parker in the 11th round to become the first combatant to accomplish this feat. Parker (31-3, 21 KOs) of New Zealand also competed against Joshua in a 12-round title unification bout at Cardiff, Wales' Principality Stadium five years ago. Joshua won on all judges scorecards.