Standing over 6ft 4in tall and weighing 17st, it takes a brave man to rile up Joe Joyce but that’s what awaits the super heavyweight Brit in Sunday’s boxing final.
After storming back from losing the opening round to see off Kazakhstan’s Ivan Dychko in the semi-finals, Joyce faces familiar foe in the shape of Tony Yoka for Olympic gold.
And the Frenchman’s comments that Joyce wasn’t smart and boxed like a robot will certainly make for interesting viewing at the weekend with the two exchanging victories in their last two fights.
“With his comments I’m glad I’m facing him I want to go and prove him wrong,” said Joyce. “He’s just trying to get me angry.
“Yoka will be on the back foot, moving around and getting the jab off. Being smart, as he says. I’ll just have to slow him down.
“I’ve beaten Yoka before and he avenged that defeat so it’s my time again. His was quite a close fight and it would be good to beat him again in the final.”
Joyce impressed throughout the semi-final, constantly moving forward and testing the increasingly tiring Dychko. And the 30-year-old, who celebrated with a few capoeira moves to please the home crowds, knew he had the stamina to outlast the 6ft 9in Kazakh.
“It was a tough first round,” added Joyce. “He was very quick, mobile and was keeping me on the end of my jab so it was quite hard to close him down.
“He was following his game plan well. But in the second I began to close him down better and was catching him. I was picking him off as he was tiring. He couldn’t keep it up for the three rounds like I can.
“I started to land my shots and his face started to mark up as I landed a few big shots. He was standing in my way of a guaranteed silver medal so he wasn’t going to stop me.”