IS JOYCE GETTING INSIDE INFO ON TAKAM TACTICS?

JOE JOYCE’S manager Sam Jones has hinted that he has spies in the camp of big fight rival Carlos Takam.

Several of Sam’s tweets might be mind games ahead of their Heavyweight blockbuster at SSE Arena, Wembley on Saturday July 24, live on BT Sport.

In a recent message Jones tweeted: “Good sparring session again yesterday

@carlos_takam the way your (sic) picking the pace up towards the end of the rounds is very impressive.”

But Takam appeared unsettled when Queensberry’s Dev Sahni asked him about Team Joyce getting info from Takam’s camp, snapping: “I don’t know how he got that information, but I don’t give a f**k.”

Takam (39-5-1,  28 KOs) who will be challenging for Joyce’s WBO International, WBC Silver and Commonwealth Heavyweight titles added:  “I don’t want to speak about that. I just want to focus on the fight.”

Joyce (12-0, 11 KOs) was also coy about whether he has inside info, saying: “You’ll have to find out if we have spies in his camp. I am not divulging any information.

“I am ready. It’s going to be a great fight. May the best man win and that will be me.”

Joyce could have got even up close and personal with Takam and not needed a gym plant. Arrangements were made for the pair to spar in Las Vegas, but his rival’s trainer got cold feet and pulled the plug.

Joyce said: “I assumed he didn’t want the smoke.

“Sam Jones sorts my sparring when I am in America training and I thought I would be sparring with Takam, but I was told he wasn’t sparring.”

Frenchman Takam defended his trainer, explaining: “I said ‘why not?’ when I was asked to spar with Joe. My trainer said he didn’t want me to spar with him because he felt we would fight.

“I was okay to spar, but my coach said; ‘One day you are going to fight that guy.’ Anyway what is the smoke?”

“What’s the smoke?” Joyce replied. “You’re going to get the smoke.”
 

Joe Joyce v Carlos Takam for the WBC Silver and WBO International titles takes place at the SSE Arena, Wembley on July 24.

Hamzah Sheeraz (12-0, 8 KOs) makes the third defence of his WBO European title against Spaniard Ezequiel Gurria (15-1, 3 KOs).
 
Swansea’s Chris Jenkins (22-3-3, 8 KOs) will finally defend his British and Commonwealth welterweight titles against Nottingham’s Ekow Essuman (14-0, 5 KOs) after recovering from injury.
 
In a well matched fourth title fight, Peacock gym ace Chris Bourke (9-0, 6 KOs) defends his WBC International super-bantamweight title against Bloxwich’s James Beech Jnr (12-1, 2 KOs).
 
There is also heavyweight action featuring David Adeleye (6-0, 5 KOs), while Mill Hill’s George Fox (3-0) will make his Queensberry debut. Reading super-featherweight hope Charles Frankham (2-0, 1 KO) has also been added to the stacked bill., along with ‘The Gent’ Micky Burke Jr (4-0, 1 KO) who also returns after his first stoppage victory in November last year.

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