Joe Joyce will have the chance to once again get close to a heavyweight title opportunity when he faces Derek Chisora at O2 Arena in London on Saturday (ESPN+, 3:30 p.m. ET).
Joyce (16-2, 15 KOs), 38, is a former WBA and WBO mandatory challenger, but he never got the opportunity to fight for a full world title. He has notable victories over Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker and Bryant Jennings, but his two losses were by KO to Zhilei Zhang in back-to-back fights last year.
“I’ve been so, so close two times,” Joyce, a -500 favorite per ESPN BET, told ESPN’s Nick Parkinson this week. “… I just have to beat whoever is in front of me now and pray I will get the opportunities I deserve.”
Chisora (34-13, 23), 40, is a perennial contender that has fought some of the big names in the heavyweight division. He’s known for his trilogy with Tyson Fury (all losses), and most of his other defeats also have come against top competition, such as Vitali Klitschko, David Haye, Dillian Whyte, Joseph Parker and undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk.
There’s a lot at stake for both fighters. A win could lead to bigger and better things, but a loss could mean the end of their careers.
Also on Saturday, Claressa Shields looks to become a four-division champion when she challenges Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for the WBC heavyweight title in Detroit (DAZN, 9 p.m. ET).
Shields (14-0, 2 KOs), 29, is one of only three boxers (Usyk and Terence Crawford are the others) in the history of the sport to be undisputed champion in two weight classes. She reigns at middleweight and previously did at junior middleweight. Shields is also a former unified super middleweight champion and a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2012 and 2016).
Lepage-Joanisse (7-1, 2 KOs), 29, challenged Alejandra Jimenez for the WBC heavyweight title in 2017, losing by third-round TKO. After that fight, she took a break from boxing of almost six years. Since her return last year, Lepage-Joanisse has recorded four consecutive victories, including a split-decision win over Abril Argentina Vidal in March to win the title.
Where can I watch the Joyce-Chisora fight card?
The Joyce-Chisora fight card can be streamed on ESPN+ at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The main card includes three fights.
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Joyce vs. Chisora full card (ESPN+, 3:30 p.m. ET):
Main card:
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Joe Joyce vs. Derek Chisora, 12 rounds, heavyweights
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Ryan Garner vs. Archie Sharp, 10 rounds, junior lightweights
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Moses Itauma vs. Mariusz Wach, 10 rounds, heavyweights
Undercard:
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Dennis McCann vs. Ionut Baluta, 12 rounds, junior featherweights
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Raven Chapman vs. Yohana Sarabia, 10 rounds, women’s featherweights
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Sean Noakes vs. Inder Bassi, 10 rounds, welterweights
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Royston Barney-Smith vs. Brian Barajas, 8 rounds, junior lightweights
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Umar Khan vs. Kaddour Hmiani, 8 rounds, featherweights
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Brandun Lee vs. Juan Anacona, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
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Aadam Hamed vs. Georgi Velichkov, 4 rounds, junior welterweights
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Jermaine Dhliwayo vs. Engel Gomez, 4 rounds, lightweights
Shields vs. Lepage-Joanisse full card (DAZN, 9 p.m. ET):
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Title fight: Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse vs. Claressa Shields, 10 rounds, for Lepage-Joanisse’s WBC heavyweight title
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Michel Rivera vs. Hugo Alberto Roldan, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
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Shohjahon Ergashev vs. Julian Smith, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
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Ernesto Mercado vs. Hector Edgardo Sarmiento, 10 rounds, junior welterweights
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Danielle Perkins vs Christianne Fahey, 6 rounds, women’s middleweights
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Samantha Worthington vs. Edina Kiss, 8 rounds, women’s junior welterweights
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Cameran Pankey vs. Shaileik Paisley, 6 rounds, featherweights
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Gordie Russ II vs. Josiah Shackleford, 6 rounds, junior middleweights
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Husam Al Mashhadi vs. TBA, 6 rounds, junior middleweights
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Jaquan McElroy vs. Travis Floyd, 4 rounds, middleweights
What other boxing fights are happening this weekend, and where can I watch them?
Saturday in Melrose, Massachusetts (CombatSportsNow.com, 7 p.m. ET)
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Andrii Novytskyi vs. Keith Rydell Mayes Jr., 10 rounds, heavyweights
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Joseph Adorno vs. Pablo Ernesto Oliveto, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
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Nicholas Molina vs. Lucas Alejandro Mignoni, 8 rounds, junior welterweights
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Nicolas Tejada vs. Javier Torres, 6 rounds, junior welterweights
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Jarrid Digangi vs. Bruno Saraiva, 4 rounds, cruiserweights
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Jonathan Delgado vs. John Medina, 4 rounds, junior welterweights
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Douglas Marroquin vs. Alfred Raymond, 4 rounds, middleweights
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Malik Jackson vs. Zenon Herrera, 4 rounds, super middleweights
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Andrew Perez vs. Max Da Silva, 4 rounds, cruiserweights
For all the other major fight cards in boxing, please visit the ESPN boxing schedule.