02-27-2017, 12:00 PM
Deontay Wilder: I'll fight Joseph Parker anywhere
WBC champion Deontay Wilder is willing to take his heavyweight belt on the line if necessary.
American WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has reiterated his willingness to fight in New Zealand to try to take the WBO belt off Joseph Parker.
Parker was ringside in Alabama on Sunday to watch Wilder retain his title with a fifth round knockout of fellow American Gerald Washington.
Wilder called out Parker while still in the ring enjoying the immediate aftermath to his victory.
The pair met up in more cordial circumstances in Wilder's dressing room after the fight.
There appears to be a genuine appetite for the two heavyweights to fight to try to unify two of the four major belts.
Parker first has to get past a mandatory defence against Hughie Fury.
If successful, Parker's handlers at Duco Events will then have to weigh up whether they continue to pursue the lucrative British market or look to further strengthen their fighter's claims in the United States via Wilder.
Much will depend on the April clash between Anthony Joshua and former champion Wladimir Klitschko in London where the IBF and WBA belts are on the line.
The sport is desperate to find a unified champion with plenty of contenders, none more so than the unbeaten Parker.
Wilder appears to be a viable option and his continued talk about taking his belt on the road is encouraging. He would prefer a US fight but he's happy to come to New Zealand if necessary.
"We're thinking June, July. That's what we're trying to schedule," Wilder told ESPN of plans to fight Parker.
"I think we're going to take it to Las Vegas, maybe Barclays Center [in Brooklyn, New York]. They've wanted me to come back since the [Artur] Szpilka fight [in January 2016]. So I think it will be a great opportunity to come back and present myself in New York, the media capital of the world, but a great thing for Parker as well to get known in America."
But, Wilder who was happy to see his hands survive against Washington after successful surgery, shrugged off any concerns about hitting the road if that's how it works out.
"If it lands in New Zealand, it would be lovely to go over," Wilder said after recording his 37th KO in 38 fights following an 11-month layoff.
"I was willing to go to Russia, I've gone to Mexico, been to England. My belt says heavyweight champion of the world. It doesn't just say 'of Alabama' or just 'of this country.' Either way it goes, I just want the fight made. I don't care about location. I don't care about date. I just want it made because my goal is to unify and I will unify."
Wilder is high on regard for Parker but low on knowledge of the unbeaten Kiwi.
"My first time seeing him fight was against Andy Ruiz, which I thought he lost that fight. But that's the only thing I've saw of him. I like the intensity and the courage his team has to want to unify," Wilder told ESPN.
Parker's trainer Kevin Barry suggested a date later in the year, possibly August or September, was the more likely scenario for a fight with Wilder.
"We've made no secret we would like to fight Deontay. We'd like to unify those belts," Barry said.
"I think that would be a good time for us. We'd like it to be in America. We're trying to make this unification. We're doing our part. We hope whoever wins the other belts [in the Joshua-Klitschko fight] keeps both belts and puts them up. It would be fantastic for the heavyweight division to have one champion. We'd like to go after the big fights with Joe."
- Stuff
WBC champion Deontay Wilder is willing to take his heavyweight belt on the line if necessary.
American WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has reiterated his willingness to fight in New Zealand to try to take the WBO belt off Joseph Parker.
Parker was ringside in Alabama on Sunday to watch Wilder retain his title with a fifth round knockout of fellow American Gerald Washington.
Wilder called out Parker while still in the ring enjoying the immediate aftermath to his victory.
The pair met up in more cordial circumstances in Wilder's dressing room after the fight.
There appears to be a genuine appetite for the two heavyweights to fight to try to unify two of the four major belts.
Parker first has to get past a mandatory defence against Hughie Fury.
If successful, Parker's handlers at Duco Events will then have to weigh up whether they continue to pursue the lucrative British market or look to further strengthen their fighter's claims in the United States via Wilder.
Much will depend on the April clash between Anthony Joshua and former champion Wladimir Klitschko in London where the IBF and WBA belts are on the line.
The sport is desperate to find a unified champion with plenty of contenders, none more so than the unbeaten Parker.
Wilder appears to be a viable option and his continued talk about taking his belt on the road is encouraging. He would prefer a US fight but he's happy to come to New Zealand if necessary.
"We're thinking June, July. That's what we're trying to schedule," Wilder told ESPN of plans to fight Parker.
"I think we're going to take it to Las Vegas, maybe Barclays Center [in Brooklyn, New York]. They've wanted me to come back since the [Artur] Szpilka fight [in January 2016]. So I think it will be a great opportunity to come back and present myself in New York, the media capital of the world, but a great thing for Parker as well to get known in America."
But, Wilder who was happy to see his hands survive against Washington after successful surgery, shrugged off any concerns about hitting the road if that's how it works out.
"If it lands in New Zealand, it would be lovely to go over," Wilder said after recording his 37th KO in 38 fights following an 11-month layoff.
"I was willing to go to Russia, I've gone to Mexico, been to England. My belt says heavyweight champion of the world. It doesn't just say 'of Alabama' or just 'of this country.' Either way it goes, I just want the fight made. I don't care about location. I don't care about date. I just want it made because my goal is to unify and I will unify."
Wilder is high on regard for Parker but low on knowledge of the unbeaten Kiwi.
"My first time seeing him fight was against Andy Ruiz, which I thought he lost that fight. But that's the only thing I've saw of him. I like the intensity and the courage his team has to want to unify," Wilder told ESPN.
Parker's trainer Kevin Barry suggested a date later in the year, possibly August or September, was the more likely scenario for a fight with Wilder.
"We've made no secret we would like to fight Deontay. We'd like to unify those belts," Barry said.
"I think that would be a good time for us. We'd like it to be in America. We're trying to make this unification. We're doing our part. We hope whoever wins the other belts [in the Joshua-Klitschko fight] keeps both belts and puts them up. It would be fantastic for the heavyweight division to have one champion. We'd like to go after the big fights with Joe."
- Stuff