Joe Joyce Vs. Christian Hammer: Odds, Records, Prediction

Though anything can and will happen in boxing, the Joe Joyce vs. Christian Hammer fight on Saturday should not be a competitive scrap. Instead, for the undefeated Joyce, it’s a stay-busy bout as he waits for the opportunity to fight one of the toughest opponents of his career, Joseph Parker. For now, Hammer will have to do. Here’s everything you need to know about Joe Joyce vs. Christian Hammer, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

Joyce has been on a nice roll lately, stopping Daniel Dubois and Carlos Takam in back-to-back wins, but he’s been inactive for the past 11 months after suffering a wrist injury. He originally was supposed to fight Parker this summer, but as Joyce has waited for his body to heal, he’s had to push back that bout potentially to the fall.

“In my experience, things don’t always happen as you plan, so when I am in training camp, I just get myself into the best possible place and look to improve,” Joyce said this week. “Obviously, I was preparing for Parker, but I just made the adjustments and I have got the experience to deliver myself to victory on Saturday night. …

“I am in a good place mentally, physically, and I think Hammer is going to be a good test and a good fight. He is tough, durable and has been in there with some really good names.”

That’s true. Hammer has faced a variety of top-notch opponents. But he’s lost to just about all of them. He’s lost three of his last five fights (his wins in that time frame came against an opponent who was 7-24 and another who was 22-34), and if Joyce wants an opponent who can last several rounds but who almost certainly won’t win, well, Hammer is probably the right opponent for him.

Hammer probably disagrees with that sentiment, and promoter Frank Warren said he was also a little nervous about Joyce’s opponent (though, let’s be honest: Warren is trying to sell a fight).

“When Tyson Fury fought Otto Wallin in Vegas everybody thought it would be straightforward, but he got a dreadful cut and was fortunate to get to the end of the fight and not getting stopped,” Warren said. “So anything can happen in these fights with big fellas and Joe has got it all to lose against Christian Hammer.”

Here’s more info on the Joe Joyce vs. Christian Hammer showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on ESPN+ beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

Joe Joyce vs. Christian Hammer odds

Unsurprisingly, Joyce is a huge favorite at -5000 (bet $5,000 to win $100), while Hammer is the +1400 underdog (win $1,400 on a $100 bet). Steer clear of Joyce’s money line, but I wouldn’t mind terribly if you took a shot on Hammer, particularly if you think he can land a lucky punch and stop Joyce at +1800.

With Joyce a -500 favorite to win by KO/TKO, there’s not much value there either. You might have to get more specific and maybe take Joyce to win by stoppage in rounds 10-12 at +400. Otherwise, it might be best to sit out this fight.

Joe Joyce vs. Christian Hammer records

Joyce had a successful amateur career, and even though he’s already 36 years old, he’s only had 13 pro fights. But he’s 13-0 with 12 KOs (the only fighter he hasn’t KO’d was Bryant Jennings in 2019), and he’s coming off two of his biggest wins.

Though Hammer’s record of 27-9 (17 KOs) isn’t all that impressive, his resume is stacked with serious names, including Tyson Fury, Alexander Povetkin, Luis Ortiz and Frank Sanchez. Unfortunately for Hammer, he’s lost to them all. The biggest wins of his career came against David Price and Michael Wallisch, but he’s nearly a half-decade removed from those victories. Say this for Hammer, though. He’s durable. Against the hardest punchers he’s faced (Povetkin, Ortiz and Sanchez), he went the distance with all of them.

Joe Joyce vs. Christian Hammer prediction

Hammer is what he is, a decent fighter that will be resilient in the ring but who will most likely lose against title contenders and up-and-comers. That means he also will lose to Joyce. If Joyce wants to make a real impact on this division, he needs to get through Hammer and then take on a tough test in Parker. The first part shouldn’t be too difficult for him. Say Joyce by stoppage in the 10^th round.