England's Joe Joyce, the 2016 super heavyweight silver medalist at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, is finally turning pro.
Hayemaker Ringstar, a joint promotional venture between former heavyweight world titleholder David Haye and Richard Schaefer of Ringstar Promotions, announced at a news conference on Wednesday in London that they have signed Joyce to a promotional deal along with three other fighters: 2016 British bantamweight Olympian Qais Ashfaq, 24; decorated Scottish amateur middleweight Willy Hutchinson, 18; and England's Michael "Venom" Page, 30, a former kickboxing world champion and current Bellator MMA fighter who is also going to give professional boxing a shot as a super middleweight with Bellator's permission.
"It is like a family and I have fitted in well," Joyce said. "I am surrounded by great people and it is an honor to be around great promoters. I am fit and raring to go. I can't wait to get back in the ring."
Schaefer said all four will turn pro on the same card at a venue to be determined in London in either late September or early October.
Schaefer also said that all four will be trained by Ismael Salas, who recently signed on as Haye's trainer. Salas, according to Schaefer, is relocating to London to become the "official Hayemaker Ringstar trainer."
In August, the 6-foot-6 Joyce, who is turning pro at the late age of 31, lost a controversial split decision to France's Tony Yoka in the Olympic final. Schaefer also signed Yoka (1-0, 1 KO) and said he hopes to pair them in a rematch down the road.
"It was a bit of a controversial decision against Yoka in the Olympics so, for sure, they should fight a rematch," Schaefer said. "They fought for the gold medal in the Olympics, so they should fight for a world title as professionals. Joe said to me, 'Why can't I fight him in my first fight?' I said I don't think that can happen."
Because of Joyce's age, Schaefer said the plan is to move him quickly, but that they believe he will be prepared to handle it because of his maturity, fighting style and amateur experience.
"He is 31 years old so he will turn pro in an eight- or 10-round fight," Schaefer said. "He's going to move very quickly. We think within five, six, seven fights he will be ready to go for a world title. His style is very unusual for a heavyweight because he's such a volume puncher. ... He just keeps coming and coming and he is a huge puncher. I think he could win the British and European titles in his first few fights. He is totally ready."
Joyce has ample amateur experience, including winning gold medals at the 2015 European Games and 2014 Commonwealth Games and a silver medal at the 2015 World Amateur Championships. He also has experience from competing in the World Series of Boxing and has sparred with pro heavyweights, including world titleholder Anthony Joshua and contender Hughie Fury.
In addition to the signings, Schaefer and Haye also announced a three-year television rights deal with UKTV, the biggest multichannel broadcaster in the United Kingdom, for its entertainment channel Dave to carry five fight cards per year. Dave is a free over-the-air channel. Dave televised both of Haye's bouts in 2016 when he returned after four years out of the ring and was very happy with the viewership the fights generated.
"We're delighted to be working alongside UKTV, taking the sport back to the masses where it belongs. I enjoy building prospects and champions into superstars that transcend the sport of boxing and become global household names, just like I have done with Floyd Mayweather, Canelo (Alvarez) and many more," said Schaefer, the former longtime CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.
Haye got the ball rolling with his comeback fights on Dave and said he was pleased to keep the relationship going.
"I've personally enjoyed huge success with UKTV, smashing viewer records on previous live broadcasts. As a result, I am thrilled to announce a long-term partnership to introduce the next generation of boxing stars to their audience," Haye said. "An incredible 40 million people tune into UKTV's (programming) every month which without question provides the Hayemaker Ringstar stable with an incredibly strong platform for a rapidly growing fan base."
Haye (28-3, 26 KOs), 36, of England, also said that he plans to fight again in December. In March, Haye suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the sixth round and was severely hampered in an 11th-round knockout loss to bitter rival Tony Bellew, a cruiserweight world titleholder who moved up in weight to face Haye in a fight that did huge business on Sky Box Office pay-per-view. The fight generated around 850,000 buys, a British record for a nontitle fight. He could face Bellew in a rematch next.
Schaefer said the fighters they signed Wednesday will also appear on Haye's next undercard.