(01-12-2023, 09:53 PM)bart Wrote: [ -> ]good stuff at last
You can give your team of techies a vacation that day. No need to come to work.
yip and lucky as I forgot it was this sunday
Hope JP puts on a great performance and not a frustrating borefest
This Sunday? Next Sunday!
Ice-cool Jack Massey sees life-changing chance against Joseph Parker
Duncan Johnstone
05:00, Jan 15 2023
Jack Massey is a front-foot fighter who sense a real opportunity against Joseph Parker.
Jack Massey’s first love was ice hockey and he knows he must take a cool approach into his fight with New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker in Manchester next weekend.
Massey, the IBO cruiserweight champion, steps up to the heavyweight division for the first time, determined to make the most of what he terms “a life-changing opportunity” against Parker, the former WBO champion.
The 29-year-old entered boxing by chance, using it as a fitness exercise to complement his ice hockey performance.
A brave Joseph Parker went down fighting in an 11th round knockout loss to Joe Joyce in Manchester.
He took to it naturally, doing well enough as an amateur to win a national title and trial for Team Great Britain before deciding to turn professional in 2013. He has fashioned a 20-1 record with 11 knockouts, being known for his power and movement.
“I only started because I wanted to keep fit for the ice hockey, but over time I fell in love with it,” Massey recalls, saying he eventually quit his time on the ice because of the long travel time for practice in Sheffield four times a week.
“I was in it for fun, but obviously I was aware of the big fighters – Mike Tyson was someone I watched a bit – and my dad had all the video tapes, so I was always around the sport.
‘If I’m honest, it wasn’t initially the plan to turn professional so early because I had trials with Team GB. They dropped me and the day I signed to turn pro, they sent me another letter for further trials.
“By that point I’d already made my mind up to try and make a bit of money. It was tough as an amateur because not a lot of people wanted to fight me and it was real hard work. It was getting on my nerves and I didn’t want to go stale.”
Jack Massey took to boxing naturally after he used it as a fitness tool for his ice hockey dreams.
Massey has found professional fights similarly hard to come by in recent times as he built his name through power - “When I hit them, they tend to go down” - and fought just once last year after securing the IBO belt in 2021.
He had to turn his attention to other areas to try to make some money to supplement his boxing career. When the surprise offer to fight Parker came through, he didn’t hesitate despite the size of the challenge in front of him. Cruiserweights fight up to a 90.7kg limit. Parker weighed in at a career-high 115.84kg for his last fight, a knockout loss to Britain’s Joe Joyce at the same venue in September.
“I was actually doing a bit of scaffolding with my brother in the run-up to Christmas, because the year has been a tough year for my career,” Massey told talkSPORT in the UK.
“My last outing was in April, and then we had a few hiccups with promotion, I won’t go into it too much, but that’s all done and dusted.
“So, yeah I got the phone call during that freezing cold week while I was scaffolding, it was about -6 degrees.
“My manager rang me saying we had a fight offer and the first words out of my mouth were ‘yeah, let’s have it’.”
Massey trusts his instincts and the more he has thought about it, the more he feels comfortable with his decision to step up a division against such a formidable opponent.
“It’s a life-changing fight,” Massey said.
“He’s a top 10 heavyweight, if we go in there and get the job done it’s life-changing.
“So, people can’t say I’m just turning up for the money because if I win this fight and stay at heavyweight, then it’s another life-changing fight next against a top 10 heavyweight.”
Massey has respect for Parker who has had some huge fights in a 30-3 career but now stands at a vulnerable juncture.
Joseph Parker needs a strong performance against Jack Massey after his tough loss to Joe Joyce last September.
“I’m not daft, it’s a tough fight, everyone can see that, but I wouldn’t go in there if I didn’t think I could beat him,” he said.
“I know sparring is very different, but I’ve been in there with other heavyweights, I’ve sparred Joseph Parker himself, so I think I’m capable of winning this fight, and I’m going to use my attributes to get round him and get this win.”
Many would feel all the pressure is on Parker given his bigger size and proven record in the glamour division. Massey could simply return to the cruiserweight ranks if he can’t find success against the Kiwi.
But Massey has felt a burden building on his shoulders after taking the fight at six weeks notice. It’s the immensity of the opportunity and, yes, ultimately money does come into his thinking.
“At first I thought there’s no pressure, but as I’ve got deeper into the camp, I’d probably say there is a lot of pressure there because it is a life-changing fight,” Massey told TalkSPORT.
Jack Massey is promising to step up to heavyweight with style against Joseph Parker.
“If I win this it’s going to shoot me right into the mix, and it’s about making yourself financially stable.
“That’s one of the main reasons I’m in this game and if I beat Joseph Parker, the money available after this fight could set me up for life, so there’s pressure there.”
From his side, Parker knows he has to win and win well if he is to achieve his desire to get rematches with the three British boxers who have scarred his record - Dillian Whyte, Anthony Joshua, and Joyce.
"I know where I am now, and I have to build myself back and the person in front of me now is Jack.
"He can come up to heavyweight, but it's going to be a rude awakening. If he's taking anything from my last fight then that's a mistake. I'll show something better.
"From a loss like that you need to come back and show a better account of yourself and that's what I want to do.
“The explosive finish is what we all want. My goal is to go out there and just smash him and start the year off with a bang."
A Deontay Wilder Showdown Is One That Joseph Parker Would Welcome
BY HANS THEMISTODE
Published Sun Jan 15, 2023, 10:21 AM EST
The road back to pugilistic prosperity was undoubtedly arduous, but one that Joseph Parker was more than willing to go down.
After coming up woefully short in back-to-back bouts against Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, Parker (30-3, 21 KOs) dusted himself off and immediately began his rebuild. Although it was a protracted process, Parker began reaping the benefits, reeling off six consecutive wins.
Ostensibly needing at least one more victory before challenging for another world title, Parker viewed a win over Joe Joyce as salient and essential. Although he sauntered into their showdown filled with hubris, Joyce eventually broke the will of his man, scoring a stoppage win in the 11th round.
Now, Parker returns to his familiar rebuild. On January 21st, at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, Parker will look to get back on track as he takes on Jack Massey. By and large, Parker is giving the fringe contender most of his focus. However, the former WBO champion has been keenly paying attention to what’s been taking place stateside.
On October 15th, 2022, Deontay Wilder successfully embarked on the second half of his career. On the night, the former WBC titlist blasted Robert Helenius in the first round.
Admittedly, Parker reveals that he shook his head in approval. But, in spite of the Alabama native looking as explosive as ever, Parker is all for a future showdown.
“I know Deontay Wilder is coming off a nice win against Helenius in the first round,” said Parker to iD Boxing. “And he showed that he still got that big right hand. If everything goes well, we can make the fight happen.”
Still, even with his chest puffed out and his motivation reaching an all-time high, Parker is unlikely to face Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) anytime soon. In all likelihood, the 37-year-old will either head into a WBC final eliminator against Andy Ruiz Jr. or a long-awaited showdown against Anthony Joshua.
In the meanwhile, Massey has lofty goals of his own. Since suffering defeat at the hands of Richard Riakporhe, Massey has racked up four victories in a row, three of which came before the sound of the final bell.
Parker though, isn’t perturbed with what his upcoming foe brings to the table. Should things go according to plan, the 30-year-old says that he’ll grab the nearest microphone and begin naming names.
“I’ll fight anyone.”
Manager: Joseph Parker is Still 31, His Best Years Are Still Ahead of Him
BY RANDOM HITS
Published Sun Jan 15, 2023, 02:01 AM EST
Former WBO heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker will fight live on New Zealand free-to-air television for the first time on January 22 (January 21 in U.S. and UK), with Warner. Bros Discovery ANZ having secured the broadcast rights to screen the kiwi slugger’s fight against local hero ‘One Smack’ Jack Massey in Manchester, on Three.
The bout – Parker’s first since suffering a stoppage defeat in an all-action thriller against Joe Joyce in September of last year – is a feature on the card headlined by Chris Eubank Jr’s showdown with Liam Smith.
Parker has notched an impressive 30-3 record over a career that is now into its second decade – but has never previously fought live on free-to-air television in New Zealand.
Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ Senior Director Content Juliet Peterson says: “We’re delighted to build on Three’s long and proud history of bringing New Zealand audiences the very best of boxing, and can’t wait for Kiwis to see Joseph Parker enter the ring. We love making fantastic sporting events like this as widely available as possible.”
Parker’s manager David Higgins said the move to free-to-air was a great chance for Kiwi sports fans to see the nation’s most successful boxer while he was still well and truly in his prime.
“Because he has achieved so much it is easy to forget that Joseph is still just 31,” said Higgins.
“But for a heavyweight that means his best years are still ahead of him. This is an important fight for Joseph against a tough opponent as he looks to get the ball rolling for a huge year in 2023.”
While he may have suffered a defeat in his last outing, Parker’s stock in the UK has not been dented after he pushed the hulking Joyce all the way in a blood and thunder 11-round thriller.
The task in front of him as he returns to the Manchester Arena is entirely different this time around with his opponent Massey, who is a cruiserweight stepping up to heavyweight for the first time. That means Parker will be the considerably bigger man – a rarity for the former WBO champ.
“Good on Jack for stepping up to take this fight,” said Parker.
“He’s a tough guy who is very skillful and he clearly backs himself. But unfortunately for him he has made a huge mistake. I’ve got a point to prove and he is standing in my way.”
Massey has fashioned a 20-1 record as a cruiserweight and is the IBO world champion in that division.
Guidry favored against Stiverne
WBA #12 heavyweight Jonathan “The King” Guidry (18-1-2, 10 KOs) is a -460 favorite against former WBC champion Bermane “B.Ware” Stiverne (25-5-1, 21 KOs) in their PPV clash on Saturday night from Casino Miami Jai Alai in Miami, Florida.
In Manchester England, middleweight Chris Eubank Jr (32-2-0, 23 KOs) is a -270 favorite over former world champion Liam Smith (32-3-1, 19 KOs) on DAZN Saturday. On the same card, unbeaten IBF #2, WBC #5, WBO #11 cruiserweight Richard Riakporhe (15-0, 11 KOs) is anywhere from 8:1 to 30:1 against former WBO champion Krzysztof Głowacki (32-3, 20 KOs), and former WBO world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (30-3, 21 KOs) is a 12:1 favorite against Jack “One Smack” Massey (20-1, 11 KOs).
Parker: I’m going to smash Massey
Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker plans to throw his weight around against Jack Massey as he looks to get himself back into title contention in Manchester on Saturday night. “I’m going to smash him,” Parker said of his looming bout with Massey, an elite cruiserweight who will be stepping up to heavyweight for the first time.
“He’s got big balls I’ll give him that,” said Parker. “But there are divisions in boxing for a reason. I’m going to be the bigger man. I’m going to fight like the bigger man, back him up and push him back. I’m going to make him think about if he really wants to be in the heavyweight division.”
Parker had the chance to eyeball local hero Massey at an open workout at Manchester’s Trafford Centre Shopping Complex on Wednesday.
It was the first time the pair have crossed paths since they rubbed shoulders at a training camp at Tyson Fury’s gym that also featured fellow Kiwi David Nyika.
While Massey is considered durable and tough, he isn’t expected to trouble Parker.
“Let’s face it, if I lose I will be way down [the standings]. It will be like ‘where is Joseph Parker?’ I’ll be out of the picture,” the Kiwi admitted.
Defeat is not, however, something he is genuinely contemplating.
“I’m in great shape. I’m ready to go. When I’m sleeping well and feeling good I am dangerous. I’ve put in the work, made the sacrifices, because I know what it takes to win.”