Champion Joyce, portrait of the artist as young boxer

BAKU: Fine arts graduate and newly-crowned European Games super heavyweight boxing champion Joe Joyce says painting must take a backseat as he pursues his goal of winning Olympic gold next year in Rio.
The 29-year-old, who achieved a dream in emulating idol Lennox Lewis in winning the Commonwealth Games title last year, came back from a poor first round to roundly thrash Russian opponent Gasan Gimbatov.
Gimbatov took such a pounding that he missed the medals ceremony and had to go to hospital for a scan with Joyce passing on his best wishes.
Joyce, who despite his 6ft 6in frame celebrated victory with an impressive backflip, had initially concentrated on photorealism in his painting style.
But the Londoner then switched to symbolism and a more abstract fashion after gaining a degree in fine art at university in Sacramento.
However, Joyce, who most admires Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh, admits it is hard to fully focus on art.
“It’s on the back-burner,” said Joyce, whose father was a painter and his mother produced pottery.
“I would like to have a proper studio space (he currently paints from the home he shares with his mother), I like to do things properly, either all or nothing.
“In university for instance, the idea was to get my degree, I was training at the same time, I wasn’t getting there, I was doing athletics, I was divided.
“You can’t be a jack of all trades.” Joyce, who says the favourite portrait he has painted is a life size one of Muhammad Ali, said it would be great to emulate London Games champion Anthony Joshua in winning Olympic gold in the same category next year.