Peter Kadiru Gets Shock WBA Title Shot Over Joe Joyce
After Tony Yoka's withdrawal, Peter Kadiru was chosen over Joe Joyce to challenge Murat Gassiev for the WBA heavyweight world title in Moscow.
After Tony Yoka had to pull out of his world title fight against Murat Gassiev due to injury, organizers actively began searching for a new opponent. For many, the name Joe Joyce immediately came to mind. He was set to compete at the same event anyway, and promoting him to the main event would have made perfect sense to most people. Instead, Peter Kadiru has surprisingly been given the fight and now has a shot at the WBA world title. For 40-year-old Joe Joyce, however, this is particularly bitter. Many saw him as the clear contender for this last-minute fight due to his experience and track record. This cancellation likely marks his last chance at a world title fight, and instead, he’ll have to face the undefeated Artem Suslenkov on the undercard.
For the new contender Peter Kadiru, the situation now looks a little different, of course. He’s very excited about the opportunity and is approaching the fight with great anticipation.
“Since my win over Senad Gashi, I’ve been in the gym training and wanting to be back in the ring. I’m excited for the opportunity to travel to Russia and challenge for the WBA Heavyweight World Title on July 11. This is my moment. My team and I are locked in and Moscow should get ready for a big performance.”
he said.
It’s the biggest fight of his career, and of course, things have gone almost perfectly for him. Now he has the chance to finally establish himself at the top of the heavyweight division, and naturally, he wants to achieve that.
Nevertheless, some fans believe that Joe Joyce would have been more deserving of the spot due to having faced significantly more notable opponents in the past and enjoying a much higher profile. The fight for the world title remains exciting, however. Even though Peter Kadiru may not have defeated the biggest names in the past, he still possesses incredible punching power and is certainly capable of keeping up with Murat Gassiev. Murat Gassiev acknowledges this himself.
"Peter Kadiru is a big, strong, experienced fighter with a solid amateur pedigree and real power."
he said.
We'll see how that plays out in the ring. What's clear, though, is that the fight promises to be very exciting and has the potential to shake things up in the division.
First of all, I feel really bad for Joe Joyce, since he was actually considered a surefire successor, and this was probably his last real chance. But still, I think the new contender is strong too, and I don’t think that means one of them has the edge right from the start. It remains an evenly matched battle for the world title. It remains to be seen who will ultimately win this title fight. But I also hope that Joe Joyce at least wins the undercard fight; otherwise, that would be a bit disappointing, and I’d feel really bad for him.