Joseph Parker

[diehard]

Kiwi, I'm having what you're having! ZZ will be his hardest fight to date. Harder than AJ. Hey kiwi, you're in Malaysia. I used to do heaps of work in Singapore. It's just a hop, skip, and jump to SA. Are you going to the fight? I know Mr Higgins. He can get you a good deal...

[Kiwi]

I'm gonna be in a bit of a remote place - and may not even see the fight.

I'm not saying Zhang won't tag Parker - just that I think he will struggle to connect truly FLUSH.

And as Zhang fades I see Parker really starting to thrive in later Rnds.

[diehard]

https://www.boxing247.com/boxing-news/big-bang-zhang-eyes-joshua-rematch-after-parker-clash-dreams-of-china-showdown/273340

[bart]

This is a much bigger hurdle than Wilder- Wilder was dangerous (by reputation) for every second because of what he is potentially able to do, ZZ will not sit back and hope to land a hail mary- he will set traps and lure JP in and punish him if he does.
concentration, concentration , concentration.... JP showed v Wilder he can do it but everything must go up a level in this fight.
I predict some hairy moments especially in 1st 3-4 but if he can survive while also frustrating ZZ by not giving him a easy target, then picks up the pace from round 6 or 7 it may be Zhang looking to survive.
If JP takes this he will be No2 HW in the world after the winner of Fury v Uysk, AJ fighting Nganno to me drops him behind these guys although Eddie ( as long as AJ wins) pushes him to a title first

[diehard]

The Wilder that we've all come to know and love was JP's toughest fight to date. Except he didn't show up. Like Bart says, ZZ will show up (although one could argue he didn't show up against Forrest or Hrgovic, and he IS looking ahead to the AJ fight!).
Yeah, the traps I see that ZZ has set in the past is ZZ backing up, and then the left uppercut when JP gets close. If Hrgovic was able to withstand ZZ's punches, why can't Parker? And BTW, where is Hrgovic? Wonder who he'll fight next?

[diehard]

Zhilei Zhang And Joseph Parker To Clash In Riyadh Co-Feature

Parker fresh off Wilder win, Zhang seeks redemption in heavyweight showdown; Vargas-Ball title fight on undercard

Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker will square off in the co-feature of Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Parker (34-3, 33 KOs) is fresh off a stunning shock victory in Riyadh last month against Deontay Wilder via unanimous decision. Zhang (26-1-1, 21 KOs) had a breakthrough campaign last year, winning two straight stoppage bouts against Joe Joyce.

Zhang's only loss occurred in a contentious decision against Filip Hrgovic in Riyadh in 2022 and during the bout, he floored his opponent.

Parker, 32, from New Zealand, has won four straight fights after losing to Joyce via 11th-round knockout in 2022. Parker, a former heavyweight champion, defeated Andy Ruiz by a close margin in 2016 to win the vacant WBO title. In 2018, he suffered back-to-back decision loses to Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua.

“For me, it was the best performance of Joseph's career,” said Parker's promoter David Higgins in media reports.

“The reason I say that is because those massive, global, pay-per-view fights have a special pressure about them, the eyes of the world are upon you and against his opponent, a murderous puncher, one of the most feared in history, you can't really describe what that pressure is like until you've been in that situation,” he added.

"A couple of times he came up short [in his career], but this time he maintained a cool head, was patient, showed intent, stuck to the fight plan, withstood the pressure. He didn't just win but dominated Wilder. His doubters and the people writing him off, he's certainly shut that crowd up. In New Zealand, the leading newspapers said he is back, and he's got another run at a world title," he continued.

In addition, Nick Ball will square off against Rey Vargas for the WBC featherweight title on the undercard.

When Vargas (36-1, 22 KOs) of Mexico faced O'Shaquie Foster in February to compete for the vacant WBC title at 130 pounds, he lost the bout. Vargas will be competing for the first time at 126 pounds after the decision loss.

Ball (19-0, 11 KOs) from UK will be competing for the title of world champion for the first time. The 26-yearold British boxer just defeated former champion Isaac Dogboe by a margin of points, which was a career-best performance.

BOXING

[diehard]

https://www.boxingscene.com/zhilei-zhangs-trainer-were-not-underestimating-parker-wilder-totally-looked-past-parker--181001

[diehard]

https://www.boxingnews24.com/2024/01/fury-opetaia-sparring-parker-wades-into-speculation/

[bart]

Lockhart interview pretty interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyRaZa4Vv_8

[diehard]

Good find, bart. Will watch tomorrow as I'm watching the DAZN fights as I got roped into a years subscription when I signed up for a month. Anyway, what did you take away from the interview??? with JP.