Despite giving freely size, Suslenkov controlled long stretches of the competition with accurate straight punches and hooks while Joyce found it increasingly difficult to mount sustained offense. The British veteran continued pressing forward, but his punches lacked the snap needed to slow the aggressive Russian.
Joyce absorbed heavy punishment through the center rounds and relied on his trademark durability to stay within the fight. By the championship rounds, nevertheless, the pace and accrued damage had taken their toll.
The decisive sequence began when Joyce raised his right hand and retreated to a neutral corner. Suslenkov closed the gap and unleashed a barrage of punches before the referee intervened and stopped the fight, giving Suslenkov an Eleventh-round technical knockout victory. Joyce was not knocked down in the course of the sequence.
The victory is the largest of Suslenkov’s skilled profession and keeps his unbeaten record intact while moving him closer to greater opportunities within the heavyweight division.
Joyce has now lost five of his last six fights. The Olympic silver medalist, once considered certainly one of Britain’s leading heavyweight contenders following victories over Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker, now faces renewed questions on his future after one other punishing defeat at age 40.
The bout served because the co-main event of the IBA Pro 19 card and marked Joyce’s first appearance in greater than a 12 months following his unanimous decision loss to Filip Hrgovic.
Suslenkov improved to 15-0 (10 KOs). The WBA Continental and IBF European heavyweight champion entered the fight ranked No. 9 by the WBA and secured the highest-profile victory of his profession by defeating the previous interim world title challenger.