That loss, on points over 10 rounds in April last year, means the 40-year-old is now 1-4 over his last five. This run meant that nearly four years after claiming the WBO interim heavyweight title, many observers were calling time on The Juggernaut’s career.

Even his old friend and advisor Sam Jones, no longer part of the team, stated publicly that Joyce should not be boxing anymore. “It’s sad to see,” Jones said.

But only a few hours after his defeat to Hrgovic, Joyce (16-4, 15 KOs) was rewatching the fight. Unable to sleep and frustrated with the result, he sat through all 10 rounds from start to finish. At the end, there was no doubt in his mind that he would go again.

Opportunities have been few and far between for the Londoner, but walking away was never an option.

“I just feel like in the media and stuff my retirement has been commented on a lot,” Joyce tells The Ring.

“But I never mentioned it once. I’m just focused on improving, getting better and waiting for opportunities to show everyone what I’m made of.

“You know what they say about opinions … everyone’s got one, right?”

Eventually, the phone call he had been hoping for came, but an offer to fight an undefeated Russian in Russia would be considered risky business for most other heavyweights. Joyce, desperate to fight again, did not hesitate to accept.

So it was swiftly decided that Joyce’s career reboot would take place at Moscow’s VTB Arena against Artem Suslenkov (14-0, 9 KOs) on July 11. When Joyce speaks to The Ring, that was still very much the plan, but an injury to Tony Yoka, who had been set to face Murat Gassiev in the main event, means he may yet be promoted atop the billing.

“I just want to get out and get back in the ring now,” Joyce says. “Going over to fight in Russia has got real Rocky vibes.

“I'm just thinking about winning and putting on a dominant performance and looking good in there and giving the British boxing fans a spectacle. I’m excited to show everyone what I’ve been working on.”

That work, for the first time, has been taking place under Sugar Hill Steward, who was officially enlisted after a trial last year. Given his miserable run of results, Joyce knew it was time to change and Steward, the nephew of the late, great Emanuel, was the man he turned to.

“I went to go and try out with Sugar last year,” he says. “I’ve been getting ready to get into a fight ever since. It has been difficult to arrange a fight but now I’m really excited that I’ve got a date. I’ve had time to build and work on what I’ve needed to work on.

“You can always nitpick and see where you can get better and that's what I'm doing. I’ve made some changes and I've worked on the things that I needed to work on to improve my game.

“Sugar is a good man, a good trainer and he's obviously got a wealth of experience from his uncle. It’s not a new Joe Joyce, but I’d say he’s been making some refinements and you’ll have to see what that means on the night.”

So why carry on? It's because “legacy” has become an important part of Joyce’s vernacular as he enters the closing stages of his professional career, which started in late 2017.

His reputation as a top-level heavyweight was damaged by his back-to-back stoppage defeats against Zhilei Zhang in 2023. He returned with a lackluster points win over Kash Ali six months later but has since lost to Derek Chisora and Hrgovic.

But, with his 41st birthday only a few months away, Joyce is convinced there is still enough time to change the way he is remembered.

“This is my legacy chapter,” he says. “This is where I want to push again and do what I can to leave a legacy.

“I've just recently turned 40 so I'm aware of where I'm at, what I need to do and where I'm going. I now know what's next, how to tie everything up and exit the sport on a high.

“Looking back to when I started boxing at 22, my aim was to get to the Olympics. I did that, I got to be No. 1 in the world, pretty much, as an amateur and win an Olympic medal.

“So back then, I did what I set out to do and also in the professional game as well. I wanted to rise to the heights and become heavyweight champion.

"I got really close by winning the WBO interim and now this is my third chance to get back up to the top of the mountain before I can then hang the gloves up.”