03-17-2022, 04:52 PM
Unbeaten Brit looms large as Joseph Parker’s next opponent
By Patrick McKendry, Digital Sport Reporter
Kiwi heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker is getting closer to signing off on a fight against Englishman Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce which is likely to take place in London in June.
Parker, who impressed in his re-match against Derek Chisora in Manchester in December, has been waiting for a chance to capitalise on his rising stocks in England.
He may be close to doing just that in a fight against the leading WBO challenger which will probably be held at Wembley Arena.
Should Parker, who is ranked No.3, beat the undefeated No.2-ranked Joyce, a former Olympian, then he will be on the brink of a title challenge against the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua world championship re-match.
Parker, now a free agent after fulfilling his contract under promoter Eddie Hearn, also has the option of signing with Probellum, an organisation with links to Dubai, where Parker visited lately, but sources say a one- or two-fight deal with Joyce’s promoter Frank Warren is more likely. American promoter Bob Arum has also been in the mix.
As ever in professional boxing, there are complicating factors, and an increasingly large one is the Ukraine war, in which Usyk, the WBO, WBA and IBF champion after his unanimous points victory over previous champion Joshua in September last year, is an active participant.
Usyk, like fellow Ukrainian professional boxer, Vasyl Lomachenko, and former champion Wladimir Klitschko and brother Vitali, the mayor of Kyiv, are in Ukraine fighting the Russian invasion.
Usyk has vowed to remain for the entirety of the war and if he is unavailable for the rematch against Joshua, who he beat convincingly at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, then Joyce may fill the void.
But Joyce, who hasn’t fought since stopping Carlos Takam, a former Parker opponent, in July last year, will be eager to resume his career as soon as possible and a fight against Parker, is likely to be a popular and relatively lucrative exercise.
It is also likely to be one of Parker’s top paydays behind his world title defeat to Joshua in Cardiff in 2018.
Parker, who is friends with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and based in Fury’s home town of Morecombe in the north of England, recently made it clear that Joyce was the opponent he wanted next.
“Firstly, it has to make sense if it’s mandatory and both guys are highly ranked, and it has to make sense financially as well,” Parker told IFL TV following Fury’s press conference to announce his fight against Dillian Whyte.
“You can’t just say ‘this is the offer, accept it’, you have to negotiate until both guys are happy.
“I’m keen to get the deal done because I’m in shape and I’ve been training like a maniac. Let’s go to Frank now and tell him to get his cheque book out and lock something in.”
Parker, the former WBO world champion, has gone to a new level under new coach Andy Lee as demonstrated in his unanimous points victory over Chisora, a rematch win which followed his far closer majority points decision in May last year.
Parker has always maintained he can see a path towards becoming a two-time world champion, and Lee has told friends that Parker has “50 per cent improvement” in him yet. It's a vote of confidence likely to resonate with the 30-year-old Aucklander, who had split with previous trainer Kevin Barry last year after an underwhelming points victory over fellow Kiwi Junior Fa in Auckland.
By Patrick McKendry, Digital Sport Reporter
Kiwi heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker is getting closer to signing off on a fight against Englishman Joe “Juggernaut” Joyce which is likely to take place in London in June.
Parker, who impressed in his re-match against Derek Chisora in Manchester in December, has been waiting for a chance to capitalise on his rising stocks in England.
He may be close to doing just that in a fight against the leading WBO challenger which will probably be held at Wembley Arena.
Should Parker, who is ranked No.3, beat the undefeated No.2-ranked Joyce, a former Olympian, then he will be on the brink of a title challenge against the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua world championship re-match.
Parker, now a free agent after fulfilling his contract under promoter Eddie Hearn, also has the option of signing with Probellum, an organisation with links to Dubai, where Parker visited lately, but sources say a one- or two-fight deal with Joyce’s promoter Frank Warren is more likely. American promoter Bob Arum has also been in the mix.
As ever in professional boxing, there are complicating factors, and an increasingly large one is the Ukraine war, in which Usyk, the WBO, WBA and IBF champion after his unanimous points victory over previous champion Joshua in September last year, is an active participant.
Usyk, like fellow Ukrainian professional boxer, Vasyl Lomachenko, and former champion Wladimir Klitschko and brother Vitali, the mayor of Kyiv, are in Ukraine fighting the Russian invasion.
Usyk has vowed to remain for the entirety of the war and if he is unavailable for the rematch against Joshua, who he beat convincingly at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, then Joyce may fill the void.
But Joyce, who hasn’t fought since stopping Carlos Takam, a former Parker opponent, in July last year, will be eager to resume his career as soon as possible and a fight against Parker, is likely to be a popular and relatively lucrative exercise.
It is also likely to be one of Parker’s top paydays behind his world title defeat to Joshua in Cardiff in 2018.
Parker, who is friends with WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and based in Fury’s home town of Morecombe in the north of England, recently made it clear that Joyce was the opponent he wanted next.
“Firstly, it has to make sense if it’s mandatory and both guys are highly ranked, and it has to make sense financially as well,” Parker told IFL TV following Fury’s press conference to announce his fight against Dillian Whyte.
“You can’t just say ‘this is the offer, accept it’, you have to negotiate until both guys are happy.
“I’m keen to get the deal done because I’m in shape and I’ve been training like a maniac. Let’s go to Frank now and tell him to get his cheque book out and lock something in.”
Parker, the former WBO world champion, has gone to a new level under new coach Andy Lee as demonstrated in his unanimous points victory over Chisora, a rematch win which followed his far closer majority points decision in May last year.
Parker has always maintained he can see a path towards becoming a two-time world champion, and Lee has told friends that Parker has “50 per cent improvement” in him yet. It's a vote of confidence likely to resonate with the 30-year-old Aucklander, who had split with previous trainer Kevin Barry last year after an underwhelming points victory over fellow Kiwi Junior Fa in Auckland.