During most of his big fights, Joe Joyce was given a funny eye. Even those who believed in him were skeptical. Eventually, he won his doubters over. Now, however, he’ll have to do it again.

This Saturday night, Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs) will stand across the ring from another hard-hitting heavyweight in Filip Hrgovic.

On paper, Hrgovic is viewed as the favorite. Considering that Joyce has lost three of his last four, it isn’t exactly surprising. Still, despite falling on hard times, the former Olympic silver medalist believes that Hrgovic is just about done at the elite level.

“He’s got a lot of mileage,” said Joyce during the final presser. “He’s been in the sport a long time and he’s had a lot of hard fights.”

Joyce is entitled to his opinion but for the most part, Hrgovic steamrolled the competition. It wasn’t until he found himself up against Daniel Dubois that things changed.

In June of 2024, Hrgovic was beaten down and bloodied. While he’s normally sturdy, Dubois hit him with everything, eventually resulting in an eighth-round stoppage.

In a few short days, neither man can afford another bad night at the office. Hrgovic is in dire need of a bounce back but at the age of 32, he still has a long career ahead of him. Joyce, on the other hand, is 39. Meaning, that the sand in his hourglass is running thin.

For Joyce, he doesn’t have the time or patience for another rebuild. What he needs, more than anything, is a win. If he’s able to do that, he has a feeling that he’ll breathe life into a career that’s teetering towards the abyss.

“I’m gonna win and then get elevated back to the top of the sport.”