10-18-2023, 10:43 AM
I can surprise him': Simon 'Grizzly' Kean confident of ambushing Joseph Parker
Sam Wilson
Heavyweight fight: Joseph Parker v Simon Kean. Where: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When: Sunday, October 29 (NZT). Coverage: Follow live updates on Stuff
A 6ft 5in man mountain known as 'The Grizzly' is hoping to catch Joseph Parker unawares when the pair cross paths in Riyadh later this month.
Parker (32-3, 22 KOs) returns to the ring for his third outing of the year on October 29 (NZT), taking on Canadian heavyweight Simon Kean in Saudi Arabia's capital.
The 34-year-old Kean will be unfamiliar to all but the most ardent boxing fans, though the native of Quebec has put together a solid record since entering the pro ranks in November 2015.
In 24 fights, Kean has stopped 95% of his opponents, winning 23 and tasting defeat once, a shock knockout to compatriot Dillon Carman that he later avenged.
The last of those victories came in March when Kean halted two-time world title challenger Eric Molina (29-9, 21 KOs) in seven rounds to extend his winning sequence to eight and set himself up for the biggest opportunity of his career.
On paper at least, the big-punching Canuck ought to present a sizeable challenge for Parker. Yet Kean is, by his own admission, still to face someone of the New Zealander's calibre.
After all, the former WBO titleholder, who is coming off a first round destruction of Faiga 'Django' Opelu in May, has operated at the highest level for close to eight years now, facing the cream of the heavyweight crop along the way.
While some believe he has passed his explosive peak, Parker still commands plenty of respect among the division's elite, not least from his good friend and reigning WBC champion Tyson Fury, on whose undercard his encounter with Kean takes place.
Seeking his third victory of a productive 2023, Parker enters the contest as a big betting favourite ($1.20 to $4.50 for Kean at the TAB) with many expecting a similarly emphatic result as the one he delivered in Melbourne last time out.
But Kean seems likely to offer a bit more resistance than the undersized Opelu given his recent form and amateur pedigree.
Unlike Parker, Kean earned a spot at the Olympics – albeit in controversial circumstances – representing Canada at the London Games in 2012. And he came away from the UK with a significant scalp, beating France's Tony Yoka before losing to Kazakhstan's Ivan Dychko in the next round.
Yoka went on to win gold four years later in Rio, edging Parker's nemesis Joe Joyce of Great Britain in the final.
Kean also packs more of a punch than Opelu and Jack Massey and can ask questions of Parker's much-vaunted chin, which has lost some of its lustre since that first stoppage loss to Joyce some 13 months ago.
Molina aside, Kean's biggest win came against long-faded former WBO titleholder Siarhei Liakhovich, stopping the Belarusian in the 10th and final round in December 2019.
To add further intrigue, the two rivals also have a couple of opponents in common in the shape of American journeymen Daniel Martz and Shawndell Winters.
Parker made shorter work of both Martz (first round TKO) and Winters (fifth round TKO) than Kean (third round KO and ninth round TKO), suggesting that the level of competition might be behind Kean's comparatively high knockout percentage (95.65% to 68.75%).
Besides, one of Kean's recent 'stoppages' came in bizarre circumstances and made headlines around the world last September.
Facing Newfel Ouatah in the co-feature at Montreal Casino, the contest was over in 16 seconds when Ouatah immediately took a knee and raised his right fist in protest, having been deemed an insurance liability by the French Boxing Federation.
That forced referee Martin Forest to wave it off without a single legitimate punch being landed, though a bemused Kean did graze the kneeling Ouatah's temple with a straight left.
It capped off a frustrating night for the home favourite, who had been out of the ring for seven months and badly needed a test as he and his team targeted more meaningful fights.
One thing is for certain; he will get no such gifts against Parker, a fighter renowned for his durability and toughness who was in near career-best shape last time out after working with conditioning coach and former US marine George Lockhart.
The Aucklander knows he needs to win and win well to keep his own hopes of returning to the heavyweight summit alive. A loss would be catastrophic to those aspirations.
Kean, on the other hand, has nothing to lose and everything to gain from his first foray at elite level. “This is the fight that can change my life”, he said when it was announced last month.
“There are no limits after that. Like all business, you are there to make money. I consider my career in boxing as a business. This is the fight that could allow me to live well after this.”
Joseph Parker made short work of Faiga Opelu and he is expected to do the same against Simon Kean.
Kean and his trainer Jessy Ross Thompson are full of respect for Parker's achievements and are not about to engage in trash talk with the amiable Kiwi. Still, they like their chances of an upset.
“I think I can surprise Parker,” said a confident Kean, praising his decorated opponent's “boxing IQ”.
“He's not a super athletic guy like Anthony Joshua, but if he got to where he is today, it's because he has great intelligence in the ring.
“Sometimes guys aren't the most impressive in the gym, but once you get in the ring, it's a different story.”
Sam Wilson
Heavyweight fight: Joseph Parker v Simon Kean. Where: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When: Sunday, October 29 (NZT). Coverage: Follow live updates on Stuff
A 6ft 5in man mountain known as 'The Grizzly' is hoping to catch Joseph Parker unawares when the pair cross paths in Riyadh later this month.
Parker (32-3, 22 KOs) returns to the ring for his third outing of the year on October 29 (NZT), taking on Canadian heavyweight Simon Kean in Saudi Arabia's capital.
The 34-year-old Kean will be unfamiliar to all but the most ardent boxing fans, though the native of Quebec has put together a solid record since entering the pro ranks in November 2015.
In 24 fights, Kean has stopped 95% of his opponents, winning 23 and tasting defeat once, a shock knockout to compatriot Dillon Carman that he later avenged.
The last of those victories came in March when Kean halted two-time world title challenger Eric Molina (29-9, 21 KOs) in seven rounds to extend his winning sequence to eight and set himself up for the biggest opportunity of his career.
On paper at least, the big-punching Canuck ought to present a sizeable challenge for Parker. Yet Kean is, by his own admission, still to face someone of the New Zealander's calibre.
After all, the former WBO titleholder, who is coming off a first round destruction of Faiga 'Django' Opelu in May, has operated at the highest level for close to eight years now, facing the cream of the heavyweight crop along the way.
While some believe he has passed his explosive peak, Parker still commands plenty of respect among the division's elite, not least from his good friend and reigning WBC champion Tyson Fury, on whose undercard his encounter with Kean takes place.
Seeking his third victory of a productive 2023, Parker enters the contest as a big betting favourite ($1.20 to $4.50 for Kean at the TAB) with many expecting a similarly emphatic result as the one he delivered in Melbourne last time out.
But Kean seems likely to offer a bit more resistance than the undersized Opelu given his recent form and amateur pedigree.
Unlike Parker, Kean earned a spot at the Olympics – albeit in controversial circumstances – representing Canada at the London Games in 2012. And he came away from the UK with a significant scalp, beating France's Tony Yoka before losing to Kazakhstan's Ivan Dychko in the next round.
Yoka went on to win gold four years later in Rio, edging Parker's nemesis Joe Joyce of Great Britain in the final.
Kean also packs more of a punch than Opelu and Jack Massey and can ask questions of Parker's much-vaunted chin, which has lost some of its lustre since that first stoppage loss to Joyce some 13 months ago.
Molina aside, Kean's biggest win came against long-faded former WBO titleholder Siarhei Liakhovich, stopping the Belarusian in the 10th and final round in December 2019.
To add further intrigue, the two rivals also have a couple of opponents in common in the shape of American journeymen Daniel Martz and Shawndell Winters.
Parker made shorter work of both Martz (first round TKO) and Winters (fifth round TKO) than Kean (third round KO and ninth round TKO), suggesting that the level of competition might be behind Kean's comparatively high knockout percentage (95.65% to 68.75%).
Besides, one of Kean's recent 'stoppages' came in bizarre circumstances and made headlines around the world last September.
Facing Newfel Ouatah in the co-feature at Montreal Casino, the contest was over in 16 seconds when Ouatah immediately took a knee and raised his right fist in protest, having been deemed an insurance liability by the French Boxing Federation.
That forced referee Martin Forest to wave it off without a single legitimate punch being landed, though a bemused Kean did graze the kneeling Ouatah's temple with a straight left.
It capped off a frustrating night for the home favourite, who had been out of the ring for seven months and badly needed a test as he and his team targeted more meaningful fights.
One thing is for certain; he will get no such gifts against Parker, a fighter renowned for his durability and toughness who was in near career-best shape last time out after working with conditioning coach and former US marine George Lockhart.
The Aucklander knows he needs to win and win well to keep his own hopes of returning to the heavyweight summit alive. A loss would be catastrophic to those aspirations.
Kean, on the other hand, has nothing to lose and everything to gain from his first foray at elite level. “This is the fight that can change my life”, he said when it was announced last month.
“There are no limits after that. Like all business, you are there to make money. I consider my career in boxing as a business. This is the fight that could allow me to live well after this.”
Joseph Parker made short work of Faiga Opelu and he is expected to do the same against Simon Kean.
Kean and his trainer Jessy Ross Thompson are full of respect for Parker's achievements and are not about to engage in trash talk with the amiable Kiwi. Still, they like their chances of an upset.
“I think I can surprise Parker,” said a confident Kean, praising his decorated opponent's “boxing IQ”.
“He's not a super athletic guy like Anthony Joshua, but if he got to where he is today, it's because he has great intelligence in the ring.
“Sometimes guys aren't the most impressive in the gym, but once you get in the ring, it's a different story.”