Joe Joyce could land shock WBA title shot after Tony Yoka withdraws

Tony Yoka’s injury has left Murat Gassiev without an opponent, opening the door for Joe Joyce to step into a heavyweight world title fight despite his recent losing streak.

Tony Yoka is unfortunately unable to fight the newly crowned WBA heavyweight world champion Murat Gassiev, and Murat Gassiev is forced to find a new opponent.

One potential opponent would be Joe Joyce, who may now, surprisingly, get a shot at the WBA title. Since Joe Joyce was scheduled to participate in the same event anyway, there’s a possibility he could step into the main event. Joe Joyce was originally slated to face the undefeated Artem Suslenkov, but a promotion to the main event would be the simplest solution. Tony Yoka is unfortunately unable to fight due to a back injury he sustained in training and will be sidelined for the time being.

If the change goes through, Joe Joyce would move directly from the undercard to a world title fight, even though he’s coming off two consecutive losses and has lost four of his last five fights. His last fight was in April 2025, when he lost by decision to Filip Hrgović.

However, Murat Gassiev isn’t exactly in the best position right now either. The Russian was considered one of the strongest cruiserweights in the world, but he was never really able to carry that success over to the heavyweight division. Two consecutive wins put him back on the path to a title, though, and at the end of 2025, he claimed the secondary world title against Kubrat Pulev, until he was recently promoted to the regular world champion.

It remains to be seen whether Joe Joyce will ultimately be promoted despite his recent losses, but one thing is certain: he would be considered a heavy underdog, which could also open the door for an upset.

I think it’s a strange situation unfolding here. Joe Joyce is by no means a bad fighter, but his recent losing streak simply doesn’t bode well for a title fight. I think the situation reflects, to some extent, the lack of established contenders in the heavyweight division, if you don’t count the absolute top contenders. I’m curious to see who will ultimately get to fight.