Hrgovic reversed the result as a professional in April 2025, winning a 10-round unanimous decision. The Croatian has since stopped Moses Itauma in the ninth round to capture the vacant IBF belt, showing how quickly one major result can transform an aging heavyweight’s career.
That example may reinforce Joyce’s belief that he can do something similar. If he survives an early attack and overwhelms a recognizable opponent late, one fortunate result might return him to contention. The immediate difficulty is finding that fight. Five defeats in six appearances leave promoters with little reason to offer him a major name without a rebuilding win first.
His former intimidation has also disappeared. Joyce’s pressure once forced opponents to expend energy while backing away because they doubted they could hurt him. Zhilei Zhang broke that psychological advantage by stopping him twice. Suslenkov then held his ground, committed to power punches, and treated Joyce as a target who could be hurt rather than an advancing force who had to be escaped.
As a result, the style Joyce used during his best professional years no longer works the same way. He was never difficult to hit, but his punch resistance allowed him to accept clean shots while exhausting opponents with his jab, size, and output. Once rivals stop fearing that exchange, his slow entries give them repeated chances to load up before he reaches punching range.
Excess weight has become another obstacle. Joyce scaled 255 pounds for his professional debut against Ian Lewison in 2017, already looking slower than he had during his amateur years. He reached a career-high 289 for July’s stoppage loss to Artem Suslenkov.
For comparison, Hrgovic arrived lighter against Itauma. Under Abel Sanchez, he dropped from 248¼ pounds against David Allen to 236¼. He looked more agile and preserved enough energy to take control after Itauma exhausted himself.
He may need to work gradually toward the 260-pound range as a starting point before SugarHill Steward can determine how much mobility and sustained output remain.
His recent record also changes how promoters will view him. A 40-year-old who has lost five of six is more likely to be offered as a test for a younger heavyweight than positioned for his own title run. Accepting that role may produce another recognizable fight, but Joyce would enter as the opponent rather than the investment. His best chance of changing that calculation is to return lighter and defeat a domestic name before another prospect’s team comes calling.
Shedding weight cannot make Joyce young again. It can remove an unnecessary burden and give him a better chance of earning the type of opening Hrgovic just seized.
