04-23-2017, 04:03 PM
Joseph Parker fight with Hughie Fury off
Joseph Parker is in Auckland, but Hughie Fury isn't - and their world heavyweight title bout is now in doubt.
Joseph Parker's WBO heavyweight title fight against Hughie Fury is off after the Englishman pulled out claiming injury under two weeks out from the event in Auckland.
Parker was due to fight Fury in a mandatory defence of his WBO world heavyweight title on May 6 but Stuff revealed doubts about the fight last week.
World Boxing Organisation (WBO) president Paco Valcarel said in a tweet on Sunday the fight was now off and "the problem lies within the Fury camp".
As of today, it seems there will be no WBO Heavyweight World Title fight in New Zealand @danrafaelespn @boxingscene
It seems the problem lies within Team Fury @danrafaelespn @boxingscene @fightnews
Parker has been mucked around by the Fury camp throughout the build up. The Kiwi champion has been through an extensive training camp and arrived in New Zealand on Saturday ready to step into the ring next week.
Parker's promoters, Duco Events, fired a shot at the Fury camp for pulling out at such late notice.
"I spoke to the WBO president a minute ago he said the Furys are claiming to have an injury and therefore we can fight whoever we want when we want as a voluntary defence out of the top 50," Duco co-owner David Higgins said.
Asked about the nature of Fury's injury, Higgins said: "I know exactly what it is; their moral compass has broken in half - a nasty fracture of the moral compass. It's not just Hughie, the whole camp has.
"That's boxing. Sometimes this sort of thing goes on. They didn't appear to want to come to New Zealand."
Higgins is yet to speak to anyone from the Fury camp.
"I don't think I'll bother."
A decision is yet to be made about whether Parker will still fight on May 6 but finding an opponent willing to step up on two weeks' notice seems unlikely.
"We've got to regroup and look at what we do. Obviously we have respect for the paying public so we'll keep them informed and provide refunds where appropriate but there will be more information tomorrow [Monday].
"The life of a promoter is not easy but it is interesting."
The development came just a day after Hughie Fury declared his readiness for the fight in a tough-talking first-person column in Britain's Mirror newspaper, headlined "I'm firing on all cylinders, Joseph Parker won't know what's hit him".
"With just two weeks until I take on Joseph Parker, everything has gone well in training. I know every fighter says that, even when it's not true, but I'm raring to go," Fury wrote.
"Because of the problems I had with my skin that I talked about in my first column, this is the first time in a long time that I've had a proper training camp.
"I feel 100 per cent better than I did for my previous fights. I'm bigger, stronger, and more powerful. In fact, I'm a different fighter and Parker won't know what's coming.
"I've watched a few of his fights and I'm confident we have the game plan to beat him - but I can't reveal it here!
"I'll fly out to New Zealand with my team in the next few days so that we have plenty of time to get settled."
- Stuff
Joseph Parker is in Auckland, but Hughie Fury isn't - and their world heavyweight title bout is now in doubt.
Joseph Parker's WBO heavyweight title fight against Hughie Fury is off after the Englishman pulled out claiming injury under two weeks out from the event in Auckland.
Parker was due to fight Fury in a mandatory defence of his WBO world heavyweight title on May 6 but Stuff revealed doubts about the fight last week.
World Boxing Organisation (WBO) president Paco Valcarel said in a tweet on Sunday the fight was now off and "the problem lies within the Fury camp".
As of today, it seems there will be no WBO Heavyweight World Title fight in New Zealand @danrafaelespn @boxingscene
It seems the problem lies within Team Fury @danrafaelespn @boxingscene @fightnews
Parker has been mucked around by the Fury camp throughout the build up. The Kiwi champion has been through an extensive training camp and arrived in New Zealand on Saturday ready to step into the ring next week.
Parker's promoters, Duco Events, fired a shot at the Fury camp for pulling out at such late notice.
"I spoke to the WBO president a minute ago he said the Furys are claiming to have an injury and therefore we can fight whoever we want when we want as a voluntary defence out of the top 50," Duco co-owner David Higgins said.
Asked about the nature of Fury's injury, Higgins said: "I know exactly what it is; their moral compass has broken in half - a nasty fracture of the moral compass. It's not just Hughie, the whole camp has.
"That's boxing. Sometimes this sort of thing goes on. They didn't appear to want to come to New Zealand."
Higgins is yet to speak to anyone from the Fury camp.
"I don't think I'll bother."
A decision is yet to be made about whether Parker will still fight on May 6 but finding an opponent willing to step up on two weeks' notice seems unlikely.
"We've got to regroup and look at what we do. Obviously we have respect for the paying public so we'll keep them informed and provide refunds where appropriate but there will be more information tomorrow [Monday].
"The life of a promoter is not easy but it is interesting."
The development came just a day after Hughie Fury declared his readiness for the fight in a tough-talking first-person column in Britain's Mirror newspaper, headlined "I'm firing on all cylinders, Joseph Parker won't know what's hit him".
"With just two weeks until I take on Joseph Parker, everything has gone well in training. I know every fighter says that, even when it's not true, but I'm raring to go," Fury wrote.
"Because of the problems I had with my skin that I talked about in my first column, this is the first time in a long time that I've had a proper training camp.
"I feel 100 per cent better than I did for my previous fights. I'm bigger, stronger, and more powerful. In fact, I'm a different fighter and Parker won't know what's coming.
"I've watched a few of his fights and I'm confident we have the game plan to beat him - but I can't reveal it here!
"I'll fly out to New Zealand with my team in the next few days so that we have plenty of time to get settled."
- Stuff