Joe Joyce’s first bout in 16 months has ended in strange fashion with the British heavyweight stopped in the 11th round.
Taking on the unbeaten Artem Suslenkov, the 40-year-old appeared to quit following a flurry of punches.
As Suslenkov attempted to walk him down, Joyce waved his right hand, seemingly signalling he did not want the fight to continue.
Despite Joyce’s gesture, Suslenkov continued to press forward and unleashed some nasty punches.
The referee then stepped in to wave off the fight with one minute remaining in the 11th round.
“What a strange conclusion to the fight,” the DAZN commentator said.
The result marked the biggest scalp of Suslenkov’s career as he improved to 15-0 and successfully defended his WBA continental heavyweight title.
As for Joyce, his record now sits at 16-5.
Adding to the 2016 Olympic silver medallist’s woe is the fact all five of his losses have come in his last six fights.
What happened in Joyce v Suslenkov?
It was a difficult evening in Moscow for Joyce from the get-go, even if he boasted the height and reach advantage.
Suslenkov did his utmost to walk down Joyce across every inch of the canvas, with the Brit trying to find a home for his powerful left hook.
But Joyce simply had no answer for Suslenkov’s relentless pressure as the Russian punched in bunches.
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Joyce showed plenty of heart to absorb as many punches from Suslenkov as he did, but by the 11th round it inevitably became too much.
Why did Joyce come back after 16 months away?
The result leaves Joyce’s future in professional boxing under a cloud of uncertainty given it was his first bout in 16 months and he is now 40 years old.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT.com prior to the bout, Joyce explained he wanted to return because he felt he had one more charge at a title left in him.
“I’m fighting for legacy,” Joyce said.
“”I want to show the boxing fans all around the world what I’ve got.
“The icing on the cake would be to win a world title.
“I obviously got up the mountain before, and this is my third crack at the pie.
“Boxing is a game of snakes and ladders.”
