Fury vs Joshua: Joe Joyce on the difference between sparring British heavyweight stars
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Joe Joyce has explained the differences in sparring Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, as he helps the “Gypsy King” prepare to box “AJ”.
On 11 December, Fury and Joshua will finally square off in the biggest British fight of a generation, headlining at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Ahead of that fight, Fury has enlisted Joyce as a sparring partner – not for the first time – while training under coach Sugarhill Steward in Miami.
Joyce, a former Olympic silver medalist and interim WBO champion, has also sparred with Joshua before, and the 41-year-old spoke to The Independent about his experiences training with each heavyweight.
“This is like my third time [with Fury],” said Joyce. “The first time I sparred him was in England, when he was well overweight. This was after [the Wladimir] Klitschko [fight in 2015], when he blew up in weight. But he was still hard to hit! He was leaning back on the ropes, I was like: ‘I can’t hit him!’
“The second time was in Big Bear [in California], when I was training with Abel Sanchez. He came up for two weeks. This was in preparation for the [first Deontay] Wilder fight [in 2018]. That was great sparring there, and good to hang out with him.”
Joyce previously trained with Joshua in the Team GB set-up, and he recalled: “I sparred him leading up to London [2012] a little bit, and then obviously he helped me out when he was a pro and I was leading up to my Olympics in 2016.
“So yeah, did a lot of rounds, great up there on the squad. There were other boxers there as well, like Frazer Clarke and Daniel Dubois, Lawrence Okolie, Nathan Gorman as well.”
On the differences between Fury, 38, and Joshua, 37, Joyce said: “I would start with Joshua. I suppose he was very competitive, and he’s a strong guy, he lifts big weights. He’s quite motivated and dedicated in the gym.
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“And obviously sparring as well was good, especially on GB with [coach] Rob McCracken. He’s very good at controlling the sparring, and iron sharpens iron, right?
“Fury, we all turn up, run every other day, and we’re in the gym, so it’s good camaraderie. And sparring-wise, I remember sparring in Big Bear in the lead-up to Wilder, he’s just so elusive [with his] footwork.
“He’s been in the sport his whole life, and I suppose Joshua came to the sport later. I think Joshua was like 18, but I was like 22 or something. Fury obviously grew up with it, so his wealth of knowledge is, you know…
“It’s great being in camp now with Fury, because after the run we sit down, have breakfast and coffee and a chat. It’s nice to pick his brains about different things. It’s quite eye-opening conversations.”
