07-26-2015, 01:18 PM
Kevin Barry keen on Joseph Parker taking All Blacks' path and fighting in Samoa
Unbeaten New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker could be fighting in Samoa in the new year.
Rising New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker is set to follow in the footsteps of the All Blacks and fight in Samoa.
Plans are firming with a January 23 date in place, and promoters Duco Events now busy working around the logistics of making that happen.
They are in talks with the Samoan government and tourism bosses there, and looking for the right partners in the island nation.
READ MORE:
* Barry: Tupou 'not good enough'
* Tupou tipped to end Parker's run
The scale of the operation could see Parker fight outdoors at Apia Stadium to accommodate the expected size of the crowd, given Samoa's strong support for him. The plans include making tickets affordable to the local market.
It would be an emotional "homecoming" for Parker, whose Samoan parents still own property there. Parker regularly holidays in Samoa.
The 23-year-old wants the fight to happen, his family want the fight to happen and his trainer Kevin Barry has an extra incentive to see his charge step into the ring in Apia.
"I think it is fantastic. Watching the All Blacks being there, I thought it was massive and all I could think about was what it would be like to take Joe over there to fight," Barry said.
"That's one thing that I have always regretted with my 12 years with David Tua … that we never did a fight in Samoa.
"Here we are in our third year of Joe's career and we are looking to take this fight there. It will be huge, the country will come to a standstill.
"It will mean a lot to Joe, it will mean a lot to Joe's parents and his relations."
Duco Events boss David Higgins said any timing of a Samoan fight would be tied in with a New Zealand television audience that would be "essential" to the deal going ahead. He anticipated the fight being broadcast in Australia and further afield.
"The recent All Blacks game showed what can be done there, which is encouraging," Higgins said. "We also have a very good relationship with TV3 Samoa who show all of Joe's fights.
"We want to make this happen. There's work to be done but we believe it's possible."
The fight would continue a busy schedule for Parker, who is unbeaten over 14 professional fights and continues to rise up the rankings.
He fights respected Australian Bowie Tupou in Invercargill next Saturday and has fights scheduled in Auckland in October and Hamilton in December.
His handlers want to see him fight five times next year as they try to manoeuvre Parker towards a world title fight.
The Tupou fight has proven an unexpected bonus in that area. Ranked No 8 by the WBO and No 10 by the WBA, Parker's management are desperate to get him into the WBC rankings that are headed by the vulnerable Deontay Wilder. That's an easier route to a title fight than through the other organisations that have the imposing Wladimir Klitschko as their champion.
Parker's promoters have convinced the Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation, an organisation with strong links to the WBC, to put their vacant heavyweight title up for grabs. As a result, the winner in Invercargill is likely to go to No 15 in the WBC rankings.
"That is something that we have been working on for a long, long time," Barry said. "Once we start getting in the rankings with the WBC then we are on a path to be taken seriously as a contender to Deontay Wilder.
"That's a path that I like for Joe. We're very excited."
A win in Invercargill would also enhance Parker's standings with the WBO. Tupou brings that organisation's African belt to the fight. Parker already holds their Oriental title. It's conceivable Parker could go as high as No 5 with the WBO, who will have two senior officials ringside in Invercargill.
Their presence is a further sign of the growing interest in Parker, who continues to gain strong international media attention.
Higgins and his Duco Events partner Dean Lonergan spent last week in New York talking to officials from American broadcasting giants ESPN, HBO and Showtime.
"We had great discussions with all of them," Lonergan said. "The higher up the rankings Joe goes, the more interest there is in him and they are acutely aware of his progress, especially Showtime.
"They like Joe's record … not just who he has fought but how he has won. They see him as exciting.
"There is a market there for Joe and it's important that we keep him busy."
The challenge is finding the right opponents. The higher Parker gets, the more difficult it is to find respected fighters willing to put their own rankings and title hopes at risk against such a dangerous youngster.
- Stuff
Unbeaten New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker could be fighting in Samoa in the new year.
Rising New Zealand heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker is set to follow in the footsteps of the All Blacks and fight in Samoa.
Plans are firming with a January 23 date in place, and promoters Duco Events now busy working around the logistics of making that happen.
They are in talks with the Samoan government and tourism bosses there, and looking for the right partners in the island nation.
READ MORE:
* Barry: Tupou 'not good enough'
* Tupou tipped to end Parker's run
The scale of the operation could see Parker fight outdoors at Apia Stadium to accommodate the expected size of the crowd, given Samoa's strong support for him. The plans include making tickets affordable to the local market.
It would be an emotional "homecoming" for Parker, whose Samoan parents still own property there. Parker regularly holidays in Samoa.
The 23-year-old wants the fight to happen, his family want the fight to happen and his trainer Kevin Barry has an extra incentive to see his charge step into the ring in Apia.
"I think it is fantastic. Watching the All Blacks being there, I thought it was massive and all I could think about was what it would be like to take Joe over there to fight," Barry said.
"That's one thing that I have always regretted with my 12 years with David Tua … that we never did a fight in Samoa.
"Here we are in our third year of Joe's career and we are looking to take this fight there. It will be huge, the country will come to a standstill.
"It will mean a lot to Joe, it will mean a lot to Joe's parents and his relations."
Duco Events boss David Higgins said any timing of a Samoan fight would be tied in with a New Zealand television audience that would be "essential" to the deal going ahead. He anticipated the fight being broadcast in Australia and further afield.
"The recent All Blacks game showed what can be done there, which is encouraging," Higgins said. "We also have a very good relationship with TV3 Samoa who show all of Joe's fights.
"We want to make this happen. There's work to be done but we believe it's possible."
The fight would continue a busy schedule for Parker, who is unbeaten over 14 professional fights and continues to rise up the rankings.
He fights respected Australian Bowie Tupou in Invercargill next Saturday and has fights scheduled in Auckland in October and Hamilton in December.
His handlers want to see him fight five times next year as they try to manoeuvre Parker towards a world title fight.
The Tupou fight has proven an unexpected bonus in that area. Ranked No 8 by the WBO and No 10 by the WBA, Parker's management are desperate to get him into the WBC rankings that are headed by the vulnerable Deontay Wilder. That's an easier route to a title fight than through the other organisations that have the imposing Wladimir Klitschko as their champion.
Parker's promoters have convinced the Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation, an organisation with strong links to the WBC, to put their vacant heavyweight title up for grabs. As a result, the winner in Invercargill is likely to go to No 15 in the WBC rankings.
"That is something that we have been working on for a long, long time," Barry said. "Once we start getting in the rankings with the WBC then we are on a path to be taken seriously as a contender to Deontay Wilder.
"That's a path that I like for Joe. We're very excited."
A win in Invercargill would also enhance Parker's standings with the WBO. Tupou brings that organisation's African belt to the fight. Parker already holds their Oriental title. It's conceivable Parker could go as high as No 5 with the WBO, who will have two senior officials ringside in Invercargill.
Their presence is a further sign of the growing interest in Parker, who continues to gain strong international media attention.
Higgins and his Duco Events partner Dean Lonergan spent last week in New York talking to officials from American broadcasting giants ESPN, HBO and Showtime.
"We had great discussions with all of them," Lonergan said. "The higher up the rankings Joe goes, the more interest there is in him and they are acutely aware of his progress, especially Showtime.
"They like Joe's record … not just who he has fought but how he has won. They see him as exciting.
"There is a market there for Joe and it's important that we keep him busy."
The challenge is finding the right opponents. The higher Parker gets, the more difficult it is to find respected fighters willing to put their own rankings and title hopes at risk against such a dangerous youngster.
- Stuff