Joyce TKO`s Takam in six - Fightnews Asia

WBC Press

“Juggernaut” Joe Joyce retained his WBC Silver heavyweight crown at the SSE Arena, Wembley, London with a sixth-round TKO victory over Cameroon’s Carlos Takam.

A short pulverizing left hook at the start of the sixth badly wobbled Takam and realizing he was all at sea and glassy-eyed, Joyce followed up with a barrage of irresistible combinations, which insured Takam wasn`t able to recover. To avoid him being completely lambasted Referee Steve Gray stepped in to save him, ending the fight at the forty-nine-second juncture.

Joe who stands a lofty six feet six inches tall, towered over Carlos who`s six feet one inch. At the weigh-in on Friday, Joe registered two hundred and sixty-three pounds, compared to Carlos`s not inconsiderable two hundred and forty-eight pounds.

But it was forty years old Carlos who started appreciably more aggressively in round one landing two clobbering right hooks to the head, which brought the retaliation of two nicely angled left hooks from the champion who`s five years younger. More rights from Carlos followed, indicating danger which was more than just latent.

In round two Joe commanded the center of the ring, throwing left jabs to which Carlos countered with a two-fisted attack to the head, soaking up a big left hook and landing a sharp right of his own. Both opened up just before the bell rang.

In round three, Carlos who was swinging with purpose rather than abandon, landed two lefts to the head, but then the course of the fight altered, when Joe caught him with a shuddering right to the head, buckling his legs. In the next round, Joe opened and again hurt Carlos with a sinking right to the belly. In round five Joe`s right again found the mark, this time to the head and he was getting the better of the exchanges.

The end came swiftly in the sixth. As the bell rang, Carlos was rubbing his nose. He then walked straight into that fast lane HGV left hook and was driven back by a series of combinations, never ever able to recover. Carlos wistfully complained at the stoppage, but he was under severe, accurate, sustained, and impactful fire, without returning it.

Hard punches exchanged, but no individual, residual hard feelings, as both fighters embraced. Joe`s record remains unblemished 13-0, 12 KO`s. While Carlos leaves London with a record of 39-6-1, 28 KO`s.