​Joe Joyce’s comeback bout ended in a perplexing fashion as the veteran British heavyweight slipped to a defeat against Artem Suslenkov in Moscow. The 40-year-old champion was stepping into the ring to face the undefeated Russian in his first outing since a defeat to Filip Hrgovic in April 2025. Throughout the night, Joyce appeared lethargic and lacking in power, and in the 11th round he seemed to signal that he no longer wished to engage, stepping backward as the action continued.
Joyce offered little by way of defense as Suslenkov, now 30, landed a few more clean blows before the referee intervened and stopped the contest. The Olympic silver medallist from Rio 2016 finishes with a pro record of 16 wins and five losses, and strikingly, all of those losses have come within his last six fights. The peak of his professional career remains his 2022 triumph over Joseph Parker to claim the vacant WBO interim heavyweight title, a victory that stands out as the high point of Joyce’s time in the ring.
In 2023 Joyce faced Zhilei Zhang on two occasions; he lost the first bout and was stopped in the rematch, ending any notion of an unbeaten streak. After the loss to Hrgovic, Joyce’s promoter Frank Warren stated that his fighter needed to do some serious reflection about the future of his career. Joyce had claimed to have spent a full year preparing for another bout and had expressed enthusiasm about the chance to fight Suslenkov, who improved to 15-0 with the win, but the mood around the heavyweight might be shifting toward uncertainty about what lies ahead for him.
Reaction from within the boxing community reflected the sense of a career’s potential final chapter. Anthony Fowler, a Great Britain teammate from the Rio 2016 squad, posted on X: “What a sad end to Joe’s career. It’s a shame to see him go out like that.” Joyce’s latest bout was part of the undercard for Murat Gassiev’s first defense of the WBA heavyweight title. Gassiev—who was elevated to WBA champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated his three heavyweight belts recently—was in action against Tony Yoka. Joyce had been mentioned as a possible stand-in if Yoka withdrew with an injury, but Peter Kadiru was confirmed as the opponent last week, and Gassiev went on to defeat the German in six rounds to improve to 34-2.
In the broader context, Cardiff continues to push for the Fury-Joshua showdown, while boxing fans tune into a busy 2026 schedule that promises high-stakes clashes and a steady stream of undercards featuring notable names. The episode in Moscow will likely spark debate about what remains for Joyce and how he plots his next steps following a fight that ended in controversial fashion and raises questions about the trajectory of his career.