Frazer Clarke column: Briton Joe Joyce is third-best heavyweight in the world

Joyce (left) was past successful enactment erstwhile helium stopped New Zealand's Joseph Parker successful the 11th circular successful September

Undefeated nonrecreational and 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke writes for BBC Sport astir chap British heavyweight Joe Joyce's combat against Zhilei Zhang astatine London's Copper Box Arena connected Saturday.

Can China's Zhang derail Joyce's world-title aspirations? And however would the Londoner fare against different large names successful the division?

Right now, I'd enactment Joe Joyce down Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk arsenic the third-best heavyweight successful the world.

The 'Juggernaut' is similar an oak histrion with arms that don't halt punching. As a heavyweight you request a bully jab, fitness, a coagulated chin and a bully close manus to decorativeness it off. Joe has each of those attributes.

He is massively underrated but he's the antheral successful the division. He doesn't spell shouting his rima off, and past delivers successful the ring.

With the likes of Fury and Anthony Joshua having led the mode successful caller years, Joe has gone nether the radar a little. But present he's being mentioned successful the aforesaid enactment arsenic those two; his banal has risen massively.

On Saturday helium faces Zhilei Zhang, who is decidedly not a walkover. He's a truly credible hostile - a dangerous, heavy-handed heavyweight.

But with the way Joe is on, with a world-title changeable looming, helium would virtually juggernaut his mode done anybody to go a champion.

Joyce deserves much recognition

Joe lone turned nonrecreational six years agone aft winning metallic astatine the 2016 Olympics. He astir apt should person been awarded the golden medal successful a split-decision loss.

He deserves much recognition than anyone successful the division. He has been mandatory for the WBO heavyweight rubric for astir 2 years, but risks it each by taking connected pugnacious challenges.

His past fight, against erstwhile champion Joseph Parker successful Manchester, was 1 of the champion heavyweight contests I've been to successful a agelong time.

Joe tin interruption radical down. He throws immoderate beauteous assemblage shots which spell unnoticed. And helium tin pb disconnected with the hook, similar the punch which enactment Parker down.

He hits precise hard and precise often. That is simply a look for demolition against anyone successful the world. You deed it hard capable and often enough, it breaks.

Defensively determination are a fewer question marks but his granite chin has made up for it truthful far. He's relentless and hard to support off. He tin up the tempo to a level wherever you tin lone vie with him for a fewer rounds.

Sometimes determination are gaps to punch into with Joe's chin a spot exposed. He besides got caught with a assemblage changeable against Bryant Jennings which troubled him a tiny small bit. Zhang volition get an accidental but whether helium hits hard capable to instrumentality Joe retired is different question.

To bushed Joe, you request to manoeuvre him a small bit, marque it hard to get those shots off. But I wouldn't accidental Zhang has that movement. He looks a spot excessively level footed to me.

A quiet, respectful antheral with bully manners

Joyce bushed Clarke (left) 4 times successful the amateurs and the brace besides spent years arsenic TeamGB team-mates

Me and Joe were connected the aforesaid Great Britain squad successful the amateurs, some competing for the aforesaid spot. I wouldn't accidental we were ever friends but determination was ne'er a dislike there.

He beauteous overmuch kept himself to himself. He liked his video games and his creation and conscionable spell connected with his job. He ne'er got excessively progressive with anyone else, did his ain happening but was blessed capable doing it.

He's conscionable a precise bully man. I met his family, they were beauteous people. He has been brought up the close way, is ever polite and has clip for everyone.

I've ever supported and respected Joe, adjacent if radical mightiness find that hard to recognize arsenic determination mightiness travel a clip successful our vocation wherever we get backmost successful the ringing together.

He does gets a batch of instrumentality for not being the top trash talker. Some radical person got it, immoderate others haven't. I tin ramble connected for days, but I'd swap my talking with Joe's motor immoderate time of the week. He does his talking successful the ringing which is thing a batch of fighters can't do.

When it comes to manners and respect, he's close up there. People request to get disconnected his backmost and alternatively applaud him for being the combatant helium is.

Joyce & 'AJ' spars were unbelievably entertaining

Joyce is the WBO interim heavyweight champion and mandatory challanger for unified champion Usyk's belt

With however blistery the heavyweight part is close now, Joe volition beryllium sitting determination smiling and rubbing his hands. There are a batch of fights retired determination for him, and each of those helium is susceptible of winning.

I would emotion to spot him look Anthony Joshua if helium beats Zhang. They are ex-team-mates. I've seen them spar successful the ringing and it was unbelievably entertaining.

For the archetypal clip successful Joshua's career, he's got a spot to beryllium to radical aft the points triumph implicit Jermaine Franklin. Joshua is being written disconnected by excessively galore radical which is unusual for maine erstwhile you look astatine his record.

Could I prime a victor close now? Probably not. A twelvemonth oregon 2 ago, I'd decidedly person said 'AJ' but astatine the infinitesimal it's a level playing field. Joyce whitethorn adjacent person the edge.

A combat betwixt Joe and Tyson would beryllium an absorbing clash of styles. The skilful boxer successful Fury against the assertive Joyce. Can Fury clasp him retired for 12 rounds? I'm not sure. But could I stake against that happening? No.

Joe is the mandatory challenger for Usyk's WBO title. Even though that combat mightiness not hap soon, with Usyk having to look WBA mandatory Daniel Dubois oregon IBF fig 1 challenger Filip Hrgovic first, I'd accidental that is the astir hard combat for my chap Briton.

Usyk mixes boxing with question and helium tin bash it for 12 rounds. The aboriginal rounds Joyce would conflict to get adjacent to him.

But I wouldn't constitute Joyce disconnected against anyone. With however bully helium is and however he's taken to nonrecreational boxing, helium should go a satellite champion.

And I anticipation helium does. He's 1 of the bully guys successful boxing.

Frazer Clarke was talking to BBC Sport's Kal Sajad.