2016 Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce (6-0, 6 KOs) is planning to do a lot of damage when he faces his sixth opponent of 2018.
Joyce will collide with heavyweight veteran Joe Hanks (23-2, 15 KOs) in a 10 round bout, as part of the undercard to the WBC world title clash between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
The contest will open up the Showtime Pay-Per-View from Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Joyce turned professional in 2017, at the age of 32.
Earlier this year, he made a decision to hire Abel Sanchez as his head trainer and signed on with powerful adviser Al Haymon. Joyce made his U.S. debut in September with a fifth-round knockout of Iago Kiladze.
Now he intends to do a number on Hanks.
"It's an honor to be part of this huge event and I give a lot of credit to Joe Hanks for stepping up and taking this fight," said Joyce. "Hanks has a good record, but I am coming to take him out."
According to Joyce, he intends to make a real push to secure a major fight in the first quarter of 2019.
"If everything goes to plan and I come through this fight as I should, I am ready for a big fight early next year to show that I'm a force in this division," Joyce said.
At one time Hanks was regarded as a rising prospect in the sport, and fought his way to a 21-0 record, before suffering defeats to Andy Ruiz and Derric Rossy. He then went through a three-and-a-half-year layoff. He's returned to win two in a row - and views Joyce as the perfect opportunity to get back in the mix..
"It feels good to be in the mix and getting exposure with the top heavyweights," said Hanks.
"I bring speed, athleticism and power to this fight. I've got a lot of great experience in my career sparring against guys like Deontay Wilder and Wladimir Klitschko, so I'm comfortable against a guy like Joe Joyce. I live in Los Angeles now and this is going to be like fighting in my front yard. I'm going to be feeling good on fight night."
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