According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, Olympic silver medal winner Joe Joyce will turn professional later this year under Richard Schaefer’s Ringstar Sports & David Haye.
“It is like a family and I have fitted in well,” Joyce said. “I am surrounded by great people and it is an honor to be around great promoters. I am fit and raring to go. I can’t wait to get back in the ring.”
In August, the 6-foot-6 Joyce, who is turning pro at the late age of 31, lost a controversial split decision to France’s Tony Yoka in the Olympic final. Schaefer also signed Yoka (1-0, 1 KO) and said he hopes to pair them in a rematch down the road.
“It was a bit of a controversial decision against Yoka in the Olympics so, for sure, they should fight a rematch,” Schaefer said. “They fought for the gold medal in the Olympics, so they should fight for a world title as professionals. Joe said to me, ‘Why can’t I fight him in my first fight?’ I said I don’t think that can happen.”
“He is 31 years old so he will turn pro in an eight- or 10-round fight,” Schaefer said. “He’s going to move very quickly. We think within five, six, seven fights he will be ready to go for a world title. His style is very unusual for a heavyweight because he’s such a volume puncher. … He just keeps coming and coming and he is a huge puncher. I think he could win the British and European titles in his first few fights. He is totally ready.”
“We’re delighted to be working alongside UKTV, taking the sport back to the masses where it belongs. I enjoy building prospects and champions into superstars that transcend the sport of boxing and become global household names, just like I have done with Floyd Mayweather, Canelo (Alvarez) and many more,” said Schaefer, the former longtime CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.
“I’ve personally enjoyed huge success with UKTV, smashing viewer records on previous live broadcasts. As a result, I am thrilled to announce a long-term partnership to introduce the next generation of boxing stars to their audience,” Haye said. “An incredible 40 million people tune into UKTV’s (programming) every month which without question provides the Hayemaker Ringstar stable with an incredibly strong platform for a rapidly growing fan base.”
