Joe Joyce secured a crucial victory against Kash Ali in the 2016 Olympic medallist’s first fight following his knockout defeat by Zhilei Zhang.
Joe Joyce, who saw his unbeaten streak snapped by Zhilei Zhang in consecutive defeats last year, entered the undercard bout in Birmingham with high expectations of overpowering Kash Ali.
Initially struggling to find his rhythm against Ali, Joyce gradually gained confidence as the fight progressed.
As Ali’s energy waned, Joyce ultimately secured a 10th-round knockout victory.
With just seven seconds remaining in the final round, a powerful right hand from Joyce sent Ali to the canvas for the first time in the match.
Although Ali attempted to rise, he couldn’t beat the referee’s ten-count, falling just short.
Despite being considered a significant underdog against Joyce, Ali showed resilience, absorbing substantial blows while landing a few of his own, earning commendation from his corner despite receiving some criticism between rounds.
Joyce, however, appeared sluggish, still visibly affected by the brutal knockouts he suffered at the hands of Zhang. Nevertheless, any concerns about his durability were dispelled as he shrugged off Ali’s attacks.
For the 38-year-old Joyce, this 10-round non-title bout marked a pivotal moment in his career. Once positioned as the next challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO title, Joyce found himself relegated to the undercard, with Nathan Heaney versus Brad Pauls headlining the event at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham.
Joyce, who had spoken about “dark times” and being “slagged off on social media”, was expected to get back in the saddle against Ali.
Ali, though, is no patsy and attempted some big shots from the off including a giant overhand right in the third round, perhaps aware that he would struggle to outpoint the Rio 2016 silver medallist.
With a three-and-a-half stone weight advantage, Joyce’s punches should have hurt Ali more, but he brought very little energy and forward momentum for most of the fight.
The fight fell into a repetitive pattern, with Joyce doing just enough to win each round but never more than the bare minimum – and certainly not enough to dispel his doubters, despite the last-gasp knockout.