Two bare-knuckle boxers in their 70s, Joe Joyce and Aney McGinley, call truce after decades of conflict, mediated after sons’ jail brawl.
Joe Joyce, known as “The Hulk,” used petrol on his hands before his bare-knuckle fights. A mediator helped them settle things after their sons fought.
Their sons, Joe Jr. and Michael, are both in jail at Magilligan Prison near Limavady. Joe Jr. is serving life for a 2020 murder, using a slash hook during the crime.
Reports say the families have fought before. Tommy Stokes said the two senior men ended it in a video posted online. He said they buried the hatchet.
Stokes saw Joe Joyce and Michael McGinley in jail after a brawl there. He helped them reconcile and shake hands and offered to talk to their fathers too.
Stokes said no one was forced and no charges were filed, stating they will not dwell on the past. McGinley said they made up over the phone, ending the argument between their sons.
McGinley said the trouble is over now. Joyce said they will have a drink together and hold no grudges. He added that he never harbored badness against strangers either.
Stokes called them “legends” and praised their families, saying they rank among the best boxers. Joe Joyce described his bare-knuckle style in a documentary.
He said he never used bandages during fights because they weaken the clout. He aimed to cut the man he fought; bandages are for gloves in the ring.
Joyce said he soaked his hands in petrol a month before fighting for 20 minutes daily. This made his hands very hard as rocks.