Joseph Parker

[gothenaki]

Yep, De Mori, WBO #15 Vincente Sandez and WBO #2 (?????) Charles Martin are definitely the weakest of all the top 15's, but De Mori hasn't fought anyone with a pulse for years, and Martin is clearly on some protected pathway.
Don't know about Sandez. I just can't see any other names on those rankings other than Tupou or Sandez who would come to Invercargill unless they're getting PAID. Szpilka maybe, but he's already got a fight lined up. Would be very disappointing if it turns out not to be a top 15 after that public comment though.

[diehard]

De Mori has already said no previously, but he's #8 WBA. Martin is the key one, #2 and #4 and has fought nobody. Baby Joseph will have to come to the US though. Gotta be Tupou for Invercargill. Would love Glazkov before the end of 2015, but again, he'd need to travel.

[gothenaki]

Interesting recent comment on Bowie Tupou's Facebook - it appears he's having a run-in with management
Bowie Tupou said "2 sides to every story Jamie Myer! You only know half the story, did he tell you that he ripped me off for the parker fight?"

[tm7]

Good find on the Facebook Page gothenaki!

Having looked through the top 15s, I can only foresee 7 of them even considering coming to Invercargill to fight Joe, who also could be available.

That would mean his opponent would have to be one of these names: (random order)
- Mike Perez - Coming off an embarrassing Rnd 1 KO to Povetkin, could be willing to take a payday and start his retirement fund
- Vyacheslav Glazkov - Beatable, available and has a relationship with Duco, having had JP on his undercard
- Eric Molina - Was lined up for Palmy, he will definitely lose against Wilder then might look at a pay packet
- Chris Arreola - Pretty inactive and doesn't leave the US/Mex so unlikely, but maybe
- Steve Cunningham - Beatable, credible and available
- Bowie Tupou - Close, cheap, on a 3-win streak, beatable, sellable with Trans-Tasman clash, credible, highly likely
- Vincente Sandez - Who? Could be willing to take pay packet because he's unlikely had one before (the new Razvan Cojanu)

However, I agree with you, it will probably be Bowie.

[gothenaki]

Also Kyotaro Fujimoto has been recently promoted to WBC #15 - an organisation Parkers team would like to be better ranked with (currently 31)
They would likely fight for the Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation Belt as they are aligned with the WBC

[tm7]

Good call, I didn't see him! He was recently chased and denied but there's nobody left for him in Japan now so could be an option

[cranky]

Anyone know anything about Andrey Fedosov? 15th with WBA, 18th with WBC, so beating him would make progress with both. Comes with a higher boxrec ranking than Parker too. I haven't seen him fight, but looks like he's mostly fought journeymen. Losses to Jennings and Whitaker, and someone else earlier in his career...

[cranky]

but got to agree with the others- tupou has to be the one they are working on...

[cranky]

I wondered why there was a comment about the benefits of "gathering up as many regional belts as he can" in the recent Parker/Saglam fight articles.. refering to the regional belts that Parker and Saglam are fighting for- like it would be a step up for Joseph to win them. Huh? They're already his! But this sort of comment could have been planted, focusing on the next fight- which if with Tupou, could be add the WBO Africa belt into the mix...

[tm7]

I think I was reading an out-of-date ratings list. Shit. Fedesov is the guy who won the Boxino tournament recently, from memory this included Razvan Cojanu, Donovan Dennis, Natu Visinia and a few other pretty decents so he's no mug