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Heavyweight contender Joe Joyce feels confident that he would “bang out” Oleksandr Usyk if they met in the ring.
During their time as amateurs in World Series of Boxing, in 2013, Usyk won a decision over Joyce.
Usyk is now one of the top players in the heavyweight division, with the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO titles around his waist.
Last year, he outboxed British star Anthony Joshua to capture the unified crown.
There will be a rematch in Saudi Arabia, with a working date of July 23.
Joyce is currently the WBO’s mandatory challenger – which puts him in position for the winner of the Usyk-Joshua rematch.
The British puncher would love to get Usyk in the ring again – and he believes this time around things will be different.
“I’ll be coming with a more skills,” Joyce explained to Boxing Social. “I have [coach Ismael] Salas by my side to set the gameplan and work on the skills etc. I didn’t even get Southpaw sparring for the first fight I had with Usyk. I think that on the repeat, styles make fights and I reckon I’ll bang him up.”
Regarding the winner of the upcoming rematch, Joyce could see it going either way although he seems to lean to Usyk. Joshua recently secured the services of veteran coach Robert Garcia to train him for the rematch.
“I thought as soon as the fight started with him and Usyk, Usyk went straight to work,” Joyce said. “He knew how to beat Joshua and now that he’s already beaten him, to do it again will be kind of the same.
“That’s unless Joshua makes some drastic changes, which I guess he did against [Andy] Ruiz and then he can say ‘three time’. But maybe it’s all part of the plan, I don’t know.”