‘They didn’t want a war!’ – Joe Joyce reveals return plans after Anthony Joshua fight talk and labels Tyson Fury vs Derek Chisora a ‘dead fight’

Joe Joyce is plotting a return to the ring for March next year after Anthony Joshua refused to ‘take the bait’ when offered a fight before the end of the year.

Joyce cemented his status as one of the best heavyweights on the planet with a crushing win over Joseph Parker in September, absorbing the best the former world champion had to throw before finishing him in the 11th round in Manchester.

As the 37-year-old emerged as a true world title contender, rivals Fury and Joshua were in negotiations for a December fight for The Gypsy King’s WBC belt – talks that inevitably collapsed leaving both searching for a new opponent before the year is out.

Fury is now likely to meet Derek Chisora for a third time on 3 December, with Joshua’s return slated for 17 December with a number of opponents under consideration.

Joyce threw his hat in the ring to take on the former world champion the week before Christmas, but no formal talks ever materialised.

‘I was hopeful. I put a few tweets out there. I went fishing wondering if they would take the bait and if the fight would materialise. They didn’t want a war with The Juggernaut,’ Joyce told Metro.co.uk.

‘I guess now we will wait and see how things play out. I will go back out to Las Vegas, pick up my training camp and have my next fight around March, we will see who is about then. It is getting exciting. By the time the dust is settled I could be heavyweight champion by then and I will have something else to offer.’

<p lang=«en» dir=«ltr» xml:lang=«en»>If Fury and AJ arenât fighting then Iâll step in. December 3rd is tight for me @Tyson_Fury, but @EddieHearn you can give your new best mate @frankwarren_tv a call and Iâll take the 17th slot with AJ. Easy fight to make! âï¸ #THEJUGGERNAUT ðð¾