01-24-2023, 08:14 PM
It's all a bit tall poppy' - Joseph Parker's new predicament
Duncan Johnstone
Joseph Parker got the victory over Jack Massey on the judge's cards in Manchester.
Joseph Parker’s manager has promised a tougher opponent for the Kiwi heavyweight’s next fight and defended his performance in his comeback win last weekend, fearing the former world champ was becoming “a tall poppy”.
Parker returned to action against British cruiserweight Jack Massey in Manchester, recording a unanimous points win on Sunday (NZT).
While it was a dominant victory on the judges’ cards, the inability to use his 14kg weight superiority and vast experience, including holding the WBO belt, to secure a knockout result has seen his effort criticised.
The mixed performance has left more questions than answers on his ability to re-establish himself in the top tier.
David Higgins, who has been guiding Parker’s professional career since 2012, still sees a bright future for the 31-year-old.
Higgins suggested Parker, once the darling of the Kiwi sporting scene, was becoming another victim of New Zealand’s notorious tall poppy syndrome and felt the international boxing media had provided better perspective on his performance against the unheralded Massey.
“We are happy with the win, I’d say only New Zealand could conjure a negative out of that (concentrating on the lack of a knockout) … it's all a bit tall poppy,” Higgins told Stuff.
“The reality is Joseph had just come off a very hard fight against Joe Joyce, a knockout loss, and he won nearly every round against a very negative opponent.
“So we are happy. My instructions from Joseph are he wants to fight again as soon as possible.
“We are obviously going to fight someone tougher next time and step it up again.”
Asked if there were good fights out there for Parker, Higgins said: “Yes 100% … perversely the way this last fight could be viewed, it will help me do my job. The big names, the likes of Dillian Whyte, Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz, may see Joseph as easier now.
“But we know that if Joseph does perform at his best he can beat them.”
Like Parker and trainer Andy Lee, Higgins felt the negative approach of Massey had impacted the fight and frustrated the Kiwi.
But, coming off that loss to Joyce, a win was crucial for Parker’s rebuilding phase. While a statement knockout hadn’t been delivered, Higgins described the 96-93, 97-92, 97-93 points verdict as “a whitewash”.
“Boxing is such a mercenary sport that winning is everything and losing is nothing. So, foremost you have to win,” Higgins said.
“Secondly, if you are going to win on points, you need to dominate, win most of the rounds. Joseph definitely won 80% of the rounds or more.
“Thirdly, when your opponent is being negative, holding and back-pedalling, it's hard to get the knockout.
“We had that before with Jason Bergman in Samoa, where the opponents are not fighting to win, they are accepting they are going to lose and are just trying to survive. This guy (Massey) lost eight out of 10 rounds which is a whitewash to Joseph Parker.”
Parker will reunite with his family in New Zealand while negotiations start for his next fight. He said he was willing to get back into action as early as March and would like another two fights this year.
Higgins said Parker had accepted he still has a lot more to learn with Lee and was adamant he still had a lot more potential to try to get back into the title frame.
It will be interesting to see what impact his latest win has on his world rankings. The loss to Joyce dropped Parker to No 8 with the WBO and No 11 with the WBC. He is at No 8 on the independent Ring Magazine list.
Duncan Johnstone
Joseph Parker got the victory over Jack Massey on the judge's cards in Manchester.
Joseph Parker’s manager has promised a tougher opponent for the Kiwi heavyweight’s next fight and defended his performance in his comeback win last weekend, fearing the former world champ was becoming “a tall poppy”.
Parker returned to action against British cruiserweight Jack Massey in Manchester, recording a unanimous points win on Sunday (NZT).
While it was a dominant victory on the judges’ cards, the inability to use his 14kg weight superiority and vast experience, including holding the WBO belt, to secure a knockout result has seen his effort criticised.
The mixed performance has left more questions than answers on his ability to re-establish himself in the top tier.
David Higgins, who has been guiding Parker’s professional career since 2012, still sees a bright future for the 31-year-old.
Higgins suggested Parker, once the darling of the Kiwi sporting scene, was becoming another victim of New Zealand’s notorious tall poppy syndrome and felt the international boxing media had provided better perspective on his performance against the unheralded Massey.
“We are happy with the win, I’d say only New Zealand could conjure a negative out of that (concentrating on the lack of a knockout) … it's all a bit tall poppy,” Higgins told Stuff.
“The reality is Joseph had just come off a very hard fight against Joe Joyce, a knockout loss, and he won nearly every round against a very negative opponent.
“So we are happy. My instructions from Joseph are he wants to fight again as soon as possible.
“We are obviously going to fight someone tougher next time and step it up again.”
Asked if there were good fights out there for Parker, Higgins said: “Yes 100% … perversely the way this last fight could be viewed, it will help me do my job. The big names, the likes of Dillian Whyte, Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz, may see Joseph as easier now.
“But we know that if Joseph does perform at his best he can beat them.”
Like Parker and trainer Andy Lee, Higgins felt the negative approach of Massey had impacted the fight and frustrated the Kiwi.
But, coming off that loss to Joyce, a win was crucial for Parker’s rebuilding phase. While a statement knockout hadn’t been delivered, Higgins described the 96-93, 97-92, 97-93 points verdict as “a whitewash”.
“Boxing is such a mercenary sport that winning is everything and losing is nothing. So, foremost you have to win,” Higgins said.
“Secondly, if you are going to win on points, you need to dominate, win most of the rounds. Joseph definitely won 80% of the rounds or more.
“Thirdly, when your opponent is being negative, holding and back-pedalling, it's hard to get the knockout.
“We had that before with Jason Bergman in Samoa, where the opponents are not fighting to win, they are accepting they are going to lose and are just trying to survive. This guy (Massey) lost eight out of 10 rounds which is a whitewash to Joseph Parker.”
Parker will reunite with his family in New Zealand while negotiations start for his next fight. He said he was willing to get back into action as early as March and would like another two fights this year.
Higgins said Parker had accepted he still has a lot more to learn with Lee and was adamant he still had a lot more potential to try to get back into the title frame.
It will be interesting to see what impact his latest win has on his world rankings. The loss to Joyce dropped Parker to No 8 with the WBO and No 11 with the WBC. He is at No 8 on the independent Ring Magazine list.