They rolled the Juggernaut out of the garage for the first time in a year for a road trip which lasted ten minutes and 20 seconds excluding pit stops.

That was long enough to bring Joe Joyce out of mothballs and back into world heavyweight title contention via this steamrolling of Christian Hammer.

Albeit not without some early bumps on the road as the veteran German slugger hurled enough rocks against Joyce's iron chin to barnstorm the first of the three and a half blunderbuss rounds.

Britain's Olympic silver medallist is likely to find himself in hibernation again before being steered in the direction of a fight for one of the alpha belts.

Not since this time last year when he added Carlos Takam to his high tally of knock outs - which stands now at 13 from 14 wins in an undefeated professional career - had Joyce appeared in a prize ring.

Not before next year can he expect to make the mandatory challenge for the WBO title which he cemented in Wembley Arena.

It will take at least until this December for Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury to sort out which of them wears all the crowns of undisputed heavyweight champion.

Not that Joyce can wait forever. He turns 37 this September and would be wise to risk his ranking before too long against a sterner opponent than the Hammer.

Someone of the more technical calibre of former champion Joseph Parker, who conveniently swerved Saturday's testing eliminator while in the act of changing promoters.

Hammer went for broke from the first bell and there gasps all round as Joyce withstood those hefty blows.

But he was landing heavily himself, not only to the Hammer head but also to the body.

That was where the key damage was done as the German slumped to the canvas once in the third round and thrice in the fourth. At which point referee Marcus McDonnel had seen enough.

The Juggernaut can be hit but so far he has proved impossible to stop.

Re-live Sportsmail's live blog for updates on Joe Joyce vs Christian Hammer at Wembley Arena.