Joe Joyce believes a rematch with Daniel Dubois is ‘an easy fight to make’ as he sets out to re-establish himself at the top of the heavyweight division this year.

This time last year, the Londoner was within touching distance of a first world title shot, standing as the mandatory challenger for the WBO heavyweight title which remains in the possession of Oleksandr Usyk.

Rather than waiting on the sidelines, Joyce rolled the dice against Zhilei Zhang in April only to suffer the first defeat of his professional career when he was stopped in the sixth round. Eager for revenge, the two met again six months later. This time, the finale was even more brutal with Joyce savagely knocked out in the third round.

It was a major setback. Prior to that night in April, Joyce had remained largely untroubled in 15 professional fights with his iron chin regarded as perhaps the toughest in the sport.