Fight Week: Joe Joyce to face Chrisitan Hammer, Mairis Briedis set for title defense
FIGHT WEEK
Heavyweight contender Joe Joyce will return against Christian Hammer on Saturday in London. Meanwhile, Mairis Briedis will defend his 200-pound title against Jai Opetaia the same day in Australia.
JOE JOYCE (13-0, 12 KOS) VS. CHRISTIAN HAMMER (27-9, 17 KOS)
When: Saturday, July 2
Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m.. PT (main event later in show)
Where: OVO Arena Wembley, London
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Heavyweight (unlimited)
Rounds: 12
At stake: No major titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Jason Cunningham vs. Zolani Tete, junior featherweights; Callum Johnson vs. Igor Mikhalkin, light heavyweights; Mark Chamberlain vs. Marc Vidal, lightweights; Nathan Heaney vs. Nizar Trimech, middleweights
Prediction: Joyce KO 5
Background: Heavyweight contender Joe Joyce was scheduled to face former titleholder Joseph Parker in what would’ve been an important fight but Parker pulled out because trainer Andy Lee, whose wife recently gave birth, was unavailable. Thus, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist from London will face journeyman Christian Hammer in what amounts to a stay-busy fight as he awaits bigger opportunities. Joyce, 36, recorded a break-through victory when he stopped Daniel Dubois in November 2020. He followed that with a sixth-round stoppage of veteran Carlos Takam in July of last year, his most-recent fight. Joyce has already set a date for his next fight, Sept. 24. And he’s pushing Parker to face him then. Hammer, a 34-year-old Romanian-born German, is 5-5 in last 10 fights, although he’s coming off first-round knockout victory over journeyman Drazan Janjanin on May 28. He has been a stepping stone for a number of elite opponents, including Tyson Fury, Alexander Povetkin, Luis Ortiz, Tony Yoka and Frank Sanchez.
MAIRIS BRIEDIS (28-1, 20 KOS) VS. JAI OPETAIA (21-0, 17 KOS)
When: Saturday, July 2
Time: 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m.. PT (main event later in show)
Where: Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach, Australia
TV/Stream: ESPN+
Division: Cruiserweight (200 pounds)
Rounds: 12
At stake: Briedis’ IBF title
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Joel Camilleri vs. Koen Mazoudier, junior middleweights; Faris Chevalier vs. Conor Wallace, light heavyweights; Issac Hardman vs. Beau Hartas, middleweights; Taylah Robertson vs. Yoselin Fernandez, junior bantamweights
Prediction: Briedis KO 9
Background: Briedis’ second title defense against his mandatory challenger was postponed twice this year, first when the titleholder tested positive for COVID-19 and again when Opetaia was injured in training. Briedis, a three-time cruiserweight beltholder, defeated Yuniel Dorticos by a majority decision to win the IBF version of the title in the final of the World Boxing Super Series tournament in September 2020. The 37-year-old Latvian successfully defended by stopping Artur Mann in three rounds in October 2021, his most-recent fight. His only loss was to current heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk, who narrowly outpointed him in 2018. Opetaia fought in the 2012 Olympics for Australia. The 26-year-old southpaw has cruised to a perfect record but hasn’t faced anyone near Briedis’ level of ability and experience as a professional. He’s coming off a third-round knockout of countryman Daniel Russell in December 2021.
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