Joe Joyce’s clash with Donnie Palmer offers chance for Olympic medallist to build some much needed hype

Despite turning professional last year in the afterglow of winning silver at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Joe Joyce has failed to fully establish himself as a paid fighter thus far. That may seem a harsh thing to hear considering he will only have his third professional fight tonight, but for a man under the tutelage of David Haye, the hype has not ignited just yet.

There is still time of course, but at 32-years-old, and in a talent stacked domestic division, the heavyweight needs a significant 2018 to fulfill the needs of both his potential, and his promotion. The right names are being mooted, and a suggested showdown with Dereck Chisora in May would represent a significant step forward, so all Joyce can do this evening is look impeccable.

His opponent is an interesting one however. 9-1-1 across a six year career, Donnie Palmer is one of the tallest heavyweights in the world, standing an imposing six foot ten. The 34-year-old has fought sporadically over the past half decade, with his last victory coming against Bobby Favors in April 2017. Favors headed into the bout having not won any of his five fights, and was stopped 124 seconds later.

Palmer talks well and has an interesting backstory, but for Joyce, he’s a man that needs to be taken out as quickly as possible. At 6’6, Joyce is tall too, and used his height well in his professional debut against Ian Lewison in November. A first round stoppage of journeyman Rudolf Jozic last month saw Joyce barely break a sweat, but he may perspire a little more initially against his giant rival.

In many ways, Joyce would be an ideal man to spearhead a positive movement in boxing. Looking past his Olympic medal, the Londoner is incredibly athletic and celebrates his victories with capoeira inspired backflips. He also has a degree in fine art, and is a thoughtful speaker. Boxing would do well to have more Joe Joyce’s, but the promotional nature of the business is as important as the physical side.

Having David Haye as a mouthpeace will work well initially, but this isn’t professional wrestling, as much as Haye wishes it was. Sooner, rather than later, Joyce will need to step out of the shadow from the Hayemaker, and crushing victories over the likes of Palmer will help. British heavyweight boxing is in very rude health at the moment, and Joyce will be eager to join Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Dillian Whyte at the very top of the division.

Will he get there? A lot depends on his durability and his age. Daniel Dubois, Hughie Fury and Nathan Gorman are all potential rivals, and are all close to a decade younger than Joyce. If he is to be fast tracked, his sometimes porous defence will need to be tightened, and it remains to be seen if his power is world class.

All of these negatives are outweighed by the positives however. Joyce was completely robbed in the Olympic final against Tony Yoka, an AIBA poster boy who was almost handed the gold medal before the bell had even rung. The British star accepted the defeat with dignity, but the annoyance must surely still burn inside him. A perfect riposte to that dark night in Rio would be to one day secure a professional world championship, and to prove he’s more of an Anthony Joshua than an Audley Harrison.

An intriguing undercard will support Joyce’s main event on Channel 5, led by Matty Askin defending his British cruiserweight title against Stephen Simmons.