Frampton backs former foe Joyce’s choice to go pro
Two-weight world champion Carl Frampton is hoping that his old amateur rival Davey Oliver Joyce can become a success in the pro ranks.
The 30 year old Mullingar boxer announced his decision to turn pro last week with MTK, delighting Belfast’s Frampton.
Joyce and Frampton came up through the ranks together, both winning medals, bronze and silver respectively, for Ireland at the inaugural European Schoolboys Championships in Rome way back in 2003.
As Seniors, he pair traded wins in late 2008-early 2009 before Frampton ditched the vest to turn pro with Barry McGuigan.
Such was the pro style of Joyce, the St Michael’s Athy fighter was a frequent sparring partner of Frampton [23(14)-1(0)] in the early stages of ‘The Jackal’s’ illustrious career.
Joyce would stay amateur following Frampton’s defection, completing a hat-trick of EU gold medals, competing at the Rio Olympics, and being one of the top performers on the World Series of Boxing and AIBA Professional Boxing circuits.
Now, with his Olympic dream achieved, Joyce has entered the big, bad pro world where he will be trained by Pete Taylor in Bray.
Frampton is happy to see the Westmeath man finally make the move and believes the lightweight has the tools to be a success in the paid game.
In his weekly column for the Sunday Life, Frampton wrote that “my old rival and friend David Oliver Joyce has decided to turn professional and it’s something that I alway thought he could have done before now.”
“He has a style that I think is suited to the professional business and the experience of five rounds in the World Series of Boxing so he can go straight into six-rounds.”
Frampton noted that Joyce’s biggest opponent may be Father Time, and wants to see DOJ brought along quickly.
He reasoned how “the downside is that he’s 30, the same age as me, and he’s just starting but if he can be fast-tracked into good fights then it will be interesting to see just how far he can go.”
“He’s a great guy and I hope he does well.”
Watch Frampton and Joyce’s 2009 Senior final here.
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