This is a preview of Joe Joyce vs Carlos Takam, and you can click here for full results, scorecard and analysis as Joyce won via sixth-round stopppage.
Joe Joyce vs Carlos Takam is a fascinating heavyweight showdown with much on the line on Saturday July 24.
For the 35-year-old Joyce this is no soft stay-busy fight as he waits patiently for his world-title shot, but it comes with significant danger attached against the vastly experienced Takam.
It should be a cracking scrap with a man in Takam who does not know how to take a step backwards. Both are tough as nails with power and strength. All the ingredients for a thrilling heavyweight showdown. Here is all we know ahead of time.
When is Joyce vs Takam?
As stated, Joyce vs Takam will take place on Saturday July 24, 2021 and the venue will be the SSE Arena, Wembley in London.
Ring walks for the main event are expected to be between 2200 and 2300 BST (if you’re in the United States that is between 1700 and 1800 ET).
Joyce vs Takam on TV: channel and live stream details
UK fight fans can watch Joyce vs Takam on BT Sport on Saturday July 24, 2021 as part of a huge night of heavyweight boxing. The fight will also be available on other BT Sport platforms including app for live stream.
The fight will be streamed by Fite.tv in the United States with a cost of $12.99.
Joyce vs Takam weights
Joyce and Takam weighed in on Friday afternoon, with Joyce tipping the scales at 263lbs (18st 11lbs). That was some 5lbs heavier than for the defeat of Dubois.
Takam meanwhile scaled 248lbs (17st 10lbs), a couple of pounds heavier than he had been in his last outing vs Jerry Forrest last July.
Joyce vs Takam tickets
There will be fans in attendance for Joyce vs Takam but the exact number is not set in stone as yet with the UK’s emergence from COVID-19 restrictions evolving at pace. Currently all restrictions are due to be lifted on Monday July 19.
Tickets for the show are now on sale from AXS.
What is at stake in Joyce vs Takam?
Everything is on the line for Joe Joyce against Carlos Takam. ‘The Juggernaut’ is currently ranked #2 by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and a victory over Takam would make him the next mandatory contender for the title currently held by Anthony Joshua.
Joyce had been hoping to face current mandatory Oleksandr Usyk, but the Ukrainian is now set for an immediate crack at AJ in September after the collapse of the Fury vs Joshua superfight planned for August.
Should Joyce defeat Takam he will become mandatory WBO challenger to whoever wins that Joshua vs Usyk showdown.
Joyce vs Takam odds and predictions
Joyce, as expected, is a relatively heavy favourite to defeat Takam and move closer to a world-title shot. He’s currently a 1/10 shot with the Frenchman trading at around the 5/1 mark. The draw is a 30/1 chance.
Our expert has analsyed the big fight and you can get his full preview, predictions and tips here.
Joe Joyce record
Joe Joyce was born in London on September 19, 1985 and he is now 35 years of age. He stands 6ft 6ins tall (1.98m) and has a reach of 80ins (2.03m).
Joe, known as ‘The Juggernaut’ has only had 12 professional fights so far since turning over in 2017, but has won them all to post a 12-0 ledger with 11 of those wins coming inside distance. The only man to take Joyce the full distance so far was tough American Bryant Jennings in July 2019.
Joyce, who has a granite chin, a relentless style and deceptive power, produced a career-best victory in his last fight – against highly-rated fellow unbeaten prospect Dubois. They met in London in November 2020 and Joyce was a clear underdog. He won though via 10th-round KO after using a spearing lead to close the left eye of Dubois, forcing him to take a knee. It was later revealed that Daniel had suffered a fractured eye socket.
Before turning professional Joyce had enjoyed a highly-decorated amateur career, culminating in him taking the super-heavyweight silver medal at the Rio Olympic Games of 2016. He would lose a controversial decision to Frenchman Tony Yoka in the final, and a pro meeting between the pain seems eminently possible down the line.
Carlos Takam record
Cameroon-born Frenchman Carlos Takam was born in Douala on December 6, 1980 and he is now 40 years of age. He has a professional record of 39-5-1 in a career in the paid ranks which has so far spanned 45 fights. A healthy 28 of Takam’s 39 victories have come inside the distance.
Takam is not the biggest heavyweight out there in terms of height – standing just 6ft 1½ins (1.87m) tall. He packs incredible strength into that frame though and he has a surprisingly long reach of 80½ins (2.04m)
Takam enjoyed a fine amateur career and actually represented Cameroon at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He would turn over in 2005, and has since fought many of the world’s elite heavyweights in a 16-year pro career to date.
Carlos won his first 18 bouts as a professional before dropping a decision to Gregory Tony in France in 2009. It would be five years before he would suffer another defeat – this time at the hands of the recently-retired Russian star Alexander Povetkin. He would then reel off another three victories before dropping a decision to former WBO heavyweight king Joseph Parker.
The most recent defeats on Takam’s ledger were both against British opposition in the aforementioned Joshua, and Dereck Chisora.
Takam challenged for AJ’s WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles in Cardiff in October 2017 on just 12 days’ notice – stepping in for the injured Kubrat Pulev, Takam put up a respectable performance against the most devastating finisher in the division but he was hampered from the fifth round on by a cut over his eye, and was eventually stopped in the 10th.
Carlos would return to the UK for his next fight – a showdown with Chisora at the O2 Arena in July 2018. Takam was on top for much of a cracking fight, but Chisora turned the tide with two massive shots in Round 8 to force a stoppage win.
Since that night, Takam has produced four victories against relatively modest opposition (at least compared to his previous foes!) and even at the age of 40 he should provide a stern test for Joyce.
Joyce vs Takam undercard
- There are three more title clashes on the Joyce vs Takam undercard as the show shapes up to be a cracker.
- Hamzah Sheeraz (12-0, 8 KOs) makes the third defence of his WBO European title against Spaniard Ezequiel Gurria (15-1, 3 KOs).
- Swansea’s Chris Jenkins (22-3-3, 8 KOs) will finally defend his British and Commonwealth welterweight titles against Nottingham’s Ekow Essuman (14-0, 5 KOs) after recovering from injury.
- In a well matched fourth title fight, Peacock gym ace Chris Bourke (9-0, 6 KOs) defends his WBC International super-bantamweight title against Bloxwich’s James Beech Jnr (12-1, 2 KOs).
- There is also heavyweight action featuring David Adeleye (6-0, 5 KOs), while Mill Hill’s George Fox (3-0) will make his Queensberry debut.
- Reading super-featherweight hope Charles Frankham (2-0, 1 KO) has also been added to the stacked bill., along with ‘The Gent’ Micky Burke Jr (4-0, 1 KO) who also returns after his first stoppage victory in November last year.
