09-21-2023, 06:01 PM
How Joseph Parker lost his status as New Zealand's top male boxer – and then got it back
Sam Wilson
Joseph Parker has been ranked as New Zealand's No 1 active fighter on BoxRec for the past nine years.
The last time Joseph Parker wasn't considered New Zealand's No 1 active male fighter by the sport's official records keeper BoxRec, John Key was still Prime Minister and 'Budapest' by George Ezra topped the singles charts.
It was August 2014, and the 22-year-old heavyweight prospect had halted Brian Minto in seven rounds a few weeks earlier to move to 9-0 with eight knockouts.
That TKO victory over the veteran American slugger saw Parker replace Robert Berridge at the top of the site's domestic pound-for-pound rankings, after the light heavyweight from Whanganui suffered his second career defeat to Vasily Lepikhin in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania earlier that same month.
It was a position the former WBO world heavyweight champion, now 31, would hold for nine years, until he was finally knocked off his perch this week.
The man who took Parker's coveted spot is Jerome Pampellone, the unbeaten light heavyweight contender who trains out of west Auckland's Peach Boxing Gym.
A plumber by trade, Pampellone has enjoyed a meteoric rise since turning professional 2 years and nine months ago with a low-key four-round decision over Thomas Russell at ABA Stadium.
Jerome Pampellone made short work of Luvuyo Sizani last month, stopping him in the opening round.
Since then, 'The Panther' has reeled off 16 further victories to move within striking distance of a world title shot.
The 27-year-old currently sits in seventh in the IBF rankings, through trainer Isaac Peach expects him to rise as high as No 3 when they are updated to reflect recent results, including his one-round demolition of South African Luvuyo Sizani on August 26 that saw Pampellone improve to 17-0, with 10 knockouts.
Still, Pampellone's stay at the top of New Zealand's domestic rankings proved brief. Indeed, as of Thursday morning (NZT), he had dropped off BoxRec's list of New Zealand's premier pugilists altogether.
There was an innocent explanation for his sudden removal, however – his nationality had been changed to 'United Kingdom' by the site's record keepers.
On Thursday morning, Jerome Pampellone's official BoxRec profile identified him as a British fighter.
Pampellone was born in London but moved with his family to New Zealand when he was 10, settling in Auckland, where he wound up living a few doors down from Peach.
He recently renewed his British passport to make it easier for him to travel overseas with potential fights in the UK on the horizon and Peach speculated that was why BoxRec – a website set up by Englishman John Sheppard in the early 2000s – had amended its records.
He insisted Pampellone was “100% a Kiwi” and would be getting in touch with BoxRec “to get it changed back today”.
“The Poms are trying to claim him as their own!”, joked Peach. “Obviously they've seen how good he is and they want to have him, but they won't.
“I've always said that he's going to be the best thing that comes out of this country and he's starting to prove it.”
Peach said Parker (32-3, 22 KOs) had been a “wonderful” ambassador for New Zealand boxing, but it was “time someone else came up through”.
“It's healthy for the sport and I think Jerome is a huge role model for kids with the way he is and presents himself,” Peach said of his mild-mannered charge.
“I mean it's the same initials, it's another JP! It's just a new JP on the block.”
Joseph Parker has reclaimed the No 1 spot on Boxrec's New Zealand pound-for-pound rankings.
Pampellone will next be in action on December 2 against an opponent to be determined on the undercard of Peach Boxing team-mate Mea Motu's second world title defence in Whangārei.
After that, Peach said he would ask promoter Dean Lonergan to get him a world title fight or, failing that, a world title eliminator.
“Britain, America, whatever. Wherever the fight is, we'll go.”
Parker, meanwhile, hasn't been sighted in a ring since May when he blasted out Faiga 'Django' Opelu in 89 seconds in Melbourne.
A brave Joseph Parker went down fighting in an 11th round knockout loss to Joe Joyce in Manchester.
He is reported to be fighting Canadian Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs) on the undercard of his good friend Tyson Fury's heavily-hyped showdown with former UFC heavyweight king Frances Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 28.
Parker has won two on the bounce since suffering his third professional loss – and first by knockout – at the hands of Britain's Joe Joyce in September last year.
Kean and Parker have a couple of common opponents on their record in Daniel Martz and Shawndell Winters. In his most recent bout, Quebec's Kean stopped two-time world title challenger Eric Molina (29-9, 21 KOs) in the seventh round.
Sam Wilson
Joseph Parker has been ranked as New Zealand's No 1 active fighter on BoxRec for the past nine years.
The last time Joseph Parker wasn't considered New Zealand's No 1 active male fighter by the sport's official records keeper BoxRec, John Key was still Prime Minister and 'Budapest' by George Ezra topped the singles charts.
It was August 2014, and the 22-year-old heavyweight prospect had halted Brian Minto in seven rounds a few weeks earlier to move to 9-0 with eight knockouts.
That TKO victory over the veteran American slugger saw Parker replace Robert Berridge at the top of the site's domestic pound-for-pound rankings, after the light heavyweight from Whanganui suffered his second career defeat to Vasily Lepikhin in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania earlier that same month.
It was a position the former WBO world heavyweight champion, now 31, would hold for nine years, until he was finally knocked off his perch this week.
The man who took Parker's coveted spot is Jerome Pampellone, the unbeaten light heavyweight contender who trains out of west Auckland's Peach Boxing Gym.
A plumber by trade, Pampellone has enjoyed a meteoric rise since turning professional 2 years and nine months ago with a low-key four-round decision over Thomas Russell at ABA Stadium.
Jerome Pampellone made short work of Luvuyo Sizani last month, stopping him in the opening round.
Since then, 'The Panther' has reeled off 16 further victories to move within striking distance of a world title shot.
The 27-year-old currently sits in seventh in the IBF rankings, through trainer Isaac Peach expects him to rise as high as No 3 when they are updated to reflect recent results, including his one-round demolition of South African Luvuyo Sizani on August 26 that saw Pampellone improve to 17-0, with 10 knockouts.
Still, Pampellone's stay at the top of New Zealand's domestic rankings proved brief. Indeed, as of Thursday morning (NZT), he had dropped off BoxRec's list of New Zealand's premier pugilists altogether.
There was an innocent explanation for his sudden removal, however – his nationality had been changed to 'United Kingdom' by the site's record keepers.
On Thursday morning, Jerome Pampellone's official BoxRec profile identified him as a British fighter.
Pampellone was born in London but moved with his family to New Zealand when he was 10, settling in Auckland, where he wound up living a few doors down from Peach.
He recently renewed his British passport to make it easier for him to travel overseas with potential fights in the UK on the horizon and Peach speculated that was why BoxRec – a website set up by Englishman John Sheppard in the early 2000s – had amended its records.
He insisted Pampellone was “100% a Kiwi” and would be getting in touch with BoxRec “to get it changed back today”.
“The Poms are trying to claim him as their own!”, joked Peach. “Obviously they've seen how good he is and they want to have him, but they won't.
“I've always said that he's going to be the best thing that comes out of this country and he's starting to prove it.”
Peach said Parker (32-3, 22 KOs) had been a “wonderful” ambassador for New Zealand boxing, but it was “time someone else came up through”.
“It's healthy for the sport and I think Jerome is a huge role model for kids with the way he is and presents himself,” Peach said of his mild-mannered charge.
“I mean it's the same initials, it's another JP! It's just a new JP on the block.”
Joseph Parker has reclaimed the No 1 spot on Boxrec's New Zealand pound-for-pound rankings.
Pampellone will next be in action on December 2 against an opponent to be determined on the undercard of Peach Boxing team-mate Mea Motu's second world title defence in Whangārei.
After that, Peach said he would ask promoter Dean Lonergan to get him a world title fight or, failing that, a world title eliminator.
“Britain, America, whatever. Wherever the fight is, we'll go.”
Parker, meanwhile, hasn't been sighted in a ring since May when he blasted out Faiga 'Django' Opelu in 89 seconds in Melbourne.
A brave Joseph Parker went down fighting in an 11th round knockout loss to Joe Joyce in Manchester.
He is reported to be fighting Canadian Simon Kean (23-1, 22 KOs) on the undercard of his good friend Tyson Fury's heavily-hyped showdown with former UFC heavyweight king Frances Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 28.
Parker has won two on the bounce since suffering his third professional loss – and first by knockout – at the hands of Britain's Joe Joyce in September last year.
Kean and Parker have a couple of common opponents on their record in Daniel Martz and Shawndell Winters. In his most recent bout, Quebec's Kean stopped two-time world title challenger Eric Molina (29-9, 21 KOs) in the seventh round.