Boxer Joe Joyce reveals attention deficit hyperactivity disorder diagnosis at 40

The Putney heavyweight says medication and new tools are helping him manage the condition, while work with trainer Sugar Hill Steward has renewed his excitement about his prospects.

Joe Joyce has no plans to walk away from boxing and is aiming to fight again in early 2027, having opened up on an ADHD diagnosis that has changed his life.

The former British, Commonwealth and European champion, who won Olympic silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, was diagnosed at 40. Joyce has often been derided for his performances in interviews and press conferences, and he said the diagnosis was a huge realisation that explained why he finds some things difficult or different to process.

He said his mother thought he might be dyslexic when he was growing up, although he was never tested. Staying organised has been a struggle throughout his life, and even tidying his room as a child took a long time because he could not focus on one thing at a time.

Joyce considered getting tested after a friend was diagnosed but did not follow it up until a new member of his team helped arrange an evaluation. An estimated 15 per cent of the UK population is diagnosed or estimated to be neurodivergent.

He said medication and other tools now help him concentrate on completing a task, rather than spreading himself too thinly. He also believes the condition has affected his preparation for fights, with the first week or so of a camp proving difficult until he settles into the new routine.

Media duties remain hard, Joyce said, but he can now practise certain things beforehand and structure his approach so he is better prepared. He called the diagnosis reassuring, while stressing that he still finds things difficult.

Joyce was once at the front of the queue to challenge Oleksandr Usyk, having become interim WBO champion by beating Joseph Parker in 2022. Two defeats to Zhilei Zhang cost him that world title shot, and he has since beaten Kash Ali and lost to Derek Chisora and Filip Hrgovic.

His most recent fight, against the unbeaten Artem Suslenkov in Russia in July, was stopped by the referee. Joyce insists the ending did not mean he was giving up or lacked the desire to continue.

He said earlier this year that he was not yet in a financial position to retire. He now wants to finish his career in a good light, knowing he did all he could and earned enough to live comfortably and move into other things.

Joyce said Steward has given him a missing piece, although it takes longer to learn new things as he gets older and their work needs time to gel. He is currently ticking over as part of Tyson Fury's camp ahead of Fury's showdown with Anthony Joshua next month.

Every UK fight result and what's next, every Friday. Get the free UK fight briefing

Add Combat Sports UK as a preferred source on Google