Anthony Joshua vs Joe Joyce previously unseen sparring footage emerges amid war of words on Twitter about potential fight
Previously unreleased sparring footage of Anthony Joshua and Joe Joyce has emerged and shows the heavyweight pair trading heavy leather.
The rival Brits have been locked in a war of words over social media in recent days after AJ listed Joyce as a potential opponent he would like to fight next.
Following his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in September, Joshua activated his rematch clause to face the Ukrainian again straight away, though this now looks set to be delayed.
Usyk has signed up for the Kyiv Territorial Defense to protect his country as Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces invade and so will be out of action for the time being.
As a result, AJ is now eyeing an interim bout in May or June against a different opponent.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has stated that Joshua gave him a four-man wish list consisting of Deontay Wilder, Luis Ortiz, Otto Wallin and Joyce.
Earlier this week, AJ laughed off suggestions he would fear facing Joyce, who he spent years sparring with in Team GB and also previously beat in the amateurs.
And now, some of this previously unreleased sparring footage has emerged.
The 40-second montage of clips shows the pair going back-and-forth in a fascinating series of exchanges.
Of course, sparring is mainly used as a training exercise in the gym and so may not be a representation of how an actual fight between the pair would play out.
However, videos like these can sometimes give fans a basic idea of how the two styles would collide.
Either way, it is a rare insight into a training session between two of the world’s top heavyweights today.
The social media exchange between the pair started after a fan doubted whether Joshua would take a fight with Joyce.
AJ tweeted: “You really think I wouldn’t fight Joe Joyce?”
He then followed up with a second tweet which included a reference to their amateur days: “I boxed Joe and stopped him in one round. I’d do the same thing today. Ain’t nothing changed.”
Joyce initially replied: “Let’s go my yout, let’s do it in Nigeria.”
He then returned to social media five days later and added: “Anthony Joshua, you having a meltdown? Where’s all your belts? All those sponsorships and endorsements helping? You’re a glass cannon, quit the act, you were given everything.”
Joshua responded: “It took you five days to think of this.”
