Joe Joyce should hang up his gloves, but will he?

Joe Joyce bounced in his corner before his fight this past Saturday with Filip Hergovic.

He projected a freshness that can be hard to do at almost 40 – and several punishing fights under his belt. Still, he tried, perhaps as much for the viewing audience as himself.

Joyce fought hard – absorbing many hard shots from Hergovic. He pushed on because that’s always been his style. Take three to land one. He ducked and moved his head, but Hergovic’s right hand still found his chin repeatedly. He went the distance but lost the fight.

Joyce can still take it. Blows bounce off him. Most boxing fans admire toughness or, in this case, a solid chin.

A chin that was thrashed by Zhilei Zhang last year.

That outcome looked unlikely after he defeated Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker a few years ago. As usual, Joyce took vicious punches from his opponents and never wavered. Dubois is a murderous puncher. Joyce took the bombs and hardly blinked. He was the Iron Man – until Zhang proved him human.

Joyce has now lost four of his five fights. He was slow when he was undefeated. Now, he’s slower.

His punches are still heavy, but they’re sluggish and lack snap. Hrgovic trained for three weeks. He looked beatable, but Joyce couldn’t execute, though he never stopped trying.

Joyce was upbeat after the fight.

“Are you not entertained? It was a good fight. It was tough. He’s a great fighter. He’s been doing it a long time, “Joyce said of Hrgovic. “I feel good.It’s pretty much like a hard spar, but it’s good to share the ring with Filip Hrgovic again,” Joyce said. “It was a good fight it was close.It’s 1-1. It wasn’t my time this time, but we can do it again.”

Do it again?

Most would like Joyce to retire now.

Retirement came up after the fight, but Joyce shot it down. “Oh, his chin’ or I’ve got CTE,(discussed before the bout) all this crap,” Joyce told The Stamping Ground after the fight. “I’ve still got my wits about me. I still enjoy myself, and there’s still plenty of good fights out there.”

“When it’s time, then I’ll hang the gloves up,” Joyce added. That time appears to be now.

There are some fights for Joyce, but more losses are likely. He’ll become an opponent – a stepping stone for younger fighters. That’s the brutal nature of boxing. Loved when you’re winning, downgraded when losing.

Giving up something you love is another issue. Joyce is an old 39, but only in boxing. The big man has other interests besides boxing.

Promoter Frank Warren plans to speak with Joyce soon.

“I think he should sit down with his family, with his manager, his trainer, and watch the fight back and then obviously make his decision,” Warren told BoxingScene. “I’ll have a chat with him as well, but I don’t want to go into that publicly. What I’ve got to say, I’ll say to him privately.”

Hopefully, Warren can get Joyce to listen.