01-30-2020, 03:31 PM
Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach vows to be ready for Joseph Parker
12:30, Jan 30 2020
Veteran Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach has flown to the United States, insisting he'll be in top shape if he gets the nod to fight Kiwi Joseph Parker in Texas.
Parker's opponent for his February 29 fight in Frisco, on the outskirts of Dallas, still hasn't been named though the former WBO champion's manager David Higgins has confirmed Wach is on the shortlist and the unveiling of the opponent is "not far away".
Wach leaves Europe on Friday to go to New York to be a sparring partner for his highly-rated countryman Adam Kownacki who fights Finland's Robert Helenius in Brooklyn on March 7.
Mariusz Wach insists he has stayed in good shape since fighting Dillian Whyte in Saudi Arabia last December.
"Parker is one of the best boxers in the world. I agreed to the fight with him right away, but now I am waiting for the move from his camp and confirmation that our duel will come," Wach told dziennikpolski24 on Thursday.
"I haven't trained for Parker yet. I have a lot of offers and if I had to wonder which one to choose, I wouldn't have time to train. I assure you, however, that I will do everything to be best prepared for the clash with Parker.
"I've already had the opportunity to train with Kownacki. Now I will be his sparring partner. My form is growing, it should not be bad."
The 40-year-old Wach, who stands 2.02m, is coming off a gallant points loss to one of Parker's nemesis, Britain's Dillian Whyte, in Saudi Arabia last December.
That was his sixth loss to go with 35 wins in a professional career dating back to 2005.
Wach said he had stayed busy since beating Whyte, looking to cash in on some rejuvenated form. He had a two-week camp at home before getting the callup to spar with the unbeaten Kownaki.
Parker's new promoter, British kingpin Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, is clearly finding out the hard way how difficult it is to find an opponent for the respected New Zealander who remains a force in a heated division despite his lack of recent activity.
This will be Parker's second bout in a three-fight deal with Hearn. It's on the undercard of the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas promotion and now appears to be taking the form of a tune-up fight as the negotiations drag on.
New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker is hoping to make things happen in 2020.
"The plan is to lock in this opponent and look good, fight well and move onto bigger and better things," Parker told Boxingscene.
"There are a lot of big fights that we can make just as long as we win - take care of business first."
Ukrainian star Oleksandr Usyk (17-0) and Britain's Dereck Chisora (32-9) are two fights Parker remains keen to chase.
Usyk and Chisora look set to fight in London in late March or early April, bringing them into line with Parker's schedule.
"If we fight at the end of February and they fight in that time frame then we can set something up for after everyone fights," Parker said with hope.
"I will fight anyone after this fight. The biggest fight we can get after that and then the biggest fight again after that. I want to be involved in the biggest fights."
Stuff
12:30, Jan 30 2020
Veteran Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach has flown to the United States, insisting he'll be in top shape if he gets the nod to fight Kiwi Joseph Parker in Texas.
Parker's opponent for his February 29 fight in Frisco, on the outskirts of Dallas, still hasn't been named though the former WBO champion's manager David Higgins has confirmed Wach is on the shortlist and the unveiling of the opponent is "not far away".
Wach leaves Europe on Friday to go to New York to be a sparring partner for his highly-rated countryman Adam Kownacki who fights Finland's Robert Helenius in Brooklyn on March 7.
Mariusz Wach insists he has stayed in good shape since fighting Dillian Whyte in Saudi Arabia last December.
"Parker is one of the best boxers in the world. I agreed to the fight with him right away, but now I am waiting for the move from his camp and confirmation that our duel will come," Wach told dziennikpolski24 on Thursday.
"I haven't trained for Parker yet. I have a lot of offers and if I had to wonder which one to choose, I wouldn't have time to train. I assure you, however, that I will do everything to be best prepared for the clash with Parker.
"I've already had the opportunity to train with Kownacki. Now I will be his sparring partner. My form is growing, it should not be bad."
The 40-year-old Wach, who stands 2.02m, is coming off a gallant points loss to one of Parker's nemesis, Britain's Dillian Whyte, in Saudi Arabia last December.
That was his sixth loss to go with 35 wins in a professional career dating back to 2005.
Wach said he had stayed busy since beating Whyte, looking to cash in on some rejuvenated form. He had a two-week camp at home before getting the callup to spar with the unbeaten Kownaki.
Parker's new promoter, British kingpin Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, is clearly finding out the hard way how difficult it is to find an opponent for the respected New Zealander who remains a force in a heated division despite his lack of recent activity.
This will be Parker's second bout in a three-fight deal with Hearn. It's on the undercard of the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas promotion and now appears to be taking the form of a tune-up fight as the negotiations drag on.
New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker is hoping to make things happen in 2020.
"The plan is to lock in this opponent and look good, fight well and move onto bigger and better things," Parker told Boxingscene.
"There are a lot of big fights that we can make just as long as we win - take care of business first."
Ukrainian star Oleksandr Usyk (17-0) and Britain's Dereck Chisora (32-9) are two fights Parker remains keen to chase.
Usyk and Chisora look set to fight in London in late March or early April, bringing them into line with Parker's schedule.
"If we fight at the end of February and they fight in that time frame then we can set something up for after everyone fights," Parker said with hope.
"I will fight anyone after this fight. The biggest fight we can get after that and then the biggest fight again after that. I want to be involved in the biggest fights."
Stuff