Joe Joyce responds to back-to-back losses with Magnificent Seven knockout win against Kash Ali

Britain’s Joe Joyce responded to back-to-back losses with a knockout win against Kash Ali.

Joyce delivered the 10th-round knockout at the Magnificent Seven event, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

He started the fight patiently, waiting for an opening as Ali tested his opponent with a few jabs to the body.

Joyce started to land more jabs and body shots as the bout progressed, absorbing the occasional right hand from Ali, but the crowd seemed unimpressed at his subdued performance.

He started to throw more punches in the seventh round, asserting his dominance on the fight as Ali started to falter.

Ali was visibly exhausted by the ninth round as Joyce moved closer to a knockout blow, but he managed to hang on until the final round.

It was then that Joyce finally managed to knock Ali to the floor with a short right hand, only seconds before the final bell was set to be rung.

Joyce was participating in his first fight since his back-to-back stoppage defeats to China’s Zhilei Zhang, after which he lost his status as the No. 1 challenger to WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk.

The 38-year-old needed to beat Ali to revive his career, having faced calls to retire after he was knocked out in his second bout with Zhang.

Joyce had predicted he would knock Ali out, telling TNT Sports: “I have to perform. He’s a decent enough fighter so I need to be careful. It’s an opportunity for him and I remember sparring him and he was decent.

“It’s going to be a good fight, exciting fight, heavyweight fight, and I’m going to knock him out.”

Ali, who had been hoping to return to winning ways after losing on points to Bohdan Myronets in July last year, suffered his third career defeat.

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