Joseph Parker

[Kiwi]

I know the level of opponent was not as high, but I think the best performance by Parker I have seen was against Kali Meehan. He simply MONSTERED the guy with constant power combinations for round after round. What has happened to that "natural" side of JP's game since then is hard to say.

I wish we could see it again.

[diehard]

Gotta agree, Kiwi. Parker's best performance was against Meehan.

I think we all know the problem about Parker leaving himself open, KB probably more than anybody. The solution is the problem, as he hasn't changed in his last several fights, including Bergman. I think part of the issue is sparring with Izu and other familiar faces. Parker knows he won't get hurt by Izu in sparring, so it's not a big deal when he gets hurt.

Surely he needs some good drills in training to stop him being so open to a right hand. The wiffle ball bat comes to mind...Every time he's open, KB smacks him with the bat.

[diehard]

Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry: “Joshua is talking to other camps at the moment”

James Slater - July 26, 2016 - 4 comments

Unbeaten Joseph Parker’s team feel the fight the New Zealander is mandated to have, against reigning IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua, will almost certainly come next year, not this year. Speaking to the media in New Zealand, Team-Parker announced an October 1st date with experienced fringe contender Alexander Dimitrenko and it was also announced how Parker, unbeaten at 20-0, will then almost certainly have another fight after that; while waiting for the shot at Joshua.

“All we know is [Anthony] Joshua is talking to other camps at the moment,” Parker’s trainer Kevin Barry said as reported by stuff.co.nz. “He’s definitely not talking to us. The fact we’re taking this fight on October 1st, there is a pretty fair assumption we’re not fighting Joshua in November. After this fight there’s every indication that, everything going well, we’ll fight another tall guy later in the year.”

Parker’s shot at Joshua looks more likely for the spring of 2017, with Joshua lining up a second voluntary defence before the end of this year (with names such as David Price and Kubrat Pulev being bandied around as possible foes) and the 24-year-old is making sure he keeps himself sharp. Parker, though, is not just looking at facing Joshua; he is confident he will beat him, take the IBF belt, and then get in line to fight the other big names of the heavyweight division; all of whom – Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Wladimir Klitschko – are, like Joshua, taller than Parker.

“These are the guys we’re targeting,” Barry said of Fury, Wilder and Klitschko. “These are the guys who hold the titles and dictate all the big purses in heavyweight boxing so we need to go after them.”

Parker is, in an age of giant heavyweights who regularly stand at 6’6” and above, a comparatively small heavy at just over 6’3” (whoever thought the day would come when a 6’3” guy would be considered to be at a size disadvantage against anyone!) and his team clearly feel they need to test him against the Dimitrenkos (6’7”) of the world to get ready for Joshua (6’6”), Fury (6’9”) and Wilder (6’7”). Klitschko might have retired by the time Parker is ready for the absolute elite, who knows.

But it’s clear Parker and his team are aiming high, very high.

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[Veritas]

I wasn't interested in funding another paltry card for the Duco circus so,... I watched the fight courtesy of a link from this site - thanks!
First off, the ref and the count. The ref was 77 years old and obviously should not be in control of fights at this level. That's a fail for Duco. The ref / timekeeper should not have
commenced the count until Joe had moved to the neutral corner. The count commenced once Solomon hit the canvas.. 3 or 4 seconds later Joe lopes into the neutral corner.. Solomon was up well before 10 if the rules were correctly applied. That said, I agree Solomon would have been creamed had the fight continued..

Dannyboy commented on how hard it is to look good when fighting someone who is well below your standard - I disagree. Boxing is the one sport where class will set you
apart from the rest. Joseph did not exhibit the supposed gulf between him and Solomon because - and I say it again - he is void of the skills that define a craftsman / classy boxer. .. nothing has changed nor appears to be changing. Accordingly, dreams of world heavyweight glory are just fanciful at this stage.

The four and a half years 'work in progress' is not progressing and Joseph is still boxing like a novice. There was absolutely no sign of a Champ in waiting on Thursday night..

Shamrock, I agree with your post fight comments.

NakiFan, you bet KB is starting to talk straight. That nauseous feeling deep in his gut is not going away as he realises that Joseph is in no way ready for the task ahead. He needs to soften the expectation of title glory and assign some reality to the situation.. Joe Public have swallowed the hype and now they want their Champ.. or, is the Emperor naked?

By my reckoning there is some 18 months still to run on Joseph's contract with Duco.. and even wearing my most rosey tinted, I cannot see JP winning a world title before then.

The next 12 months are going to be very interesting. Good luck Joseph!

[bopman]

I disagree, jo has the potential to be a champ in a sanctioning body. I think he needs more time to iron out a few spots. Boxingfan your right the jab has gone?. We have to remember if Jo fails against Joshua it's not the end of the world. Hopefully it doesn't happen but someone has to win. Win or lose he will take away some great learnings and grow stronger mentally. Jo has some great atributes and Cleary sits in the top 20 heavyweights right now. So he deserves a title shot.

[Dannyboy]

Veritas... well analysed comments and I would agree with most of them. However, a couple of things you mention I disagree with...

Styles make fights, and you can look great when you're in against an experienced fighter, and can look rubbish when in against a substandard fighter (and vice versa). That's the reason why there can always be upsets. But, I do agree JP doesn't have the skills yet to be called a classy boxer.

However, we have all seen previous (and current) World Champions that have a lot less skill factor than JP!!

KB is well aware JP has a long way to go, agreed. However, This won't stop them having a crack out a title fight if and when it becomes available. They have looked at it, done the analysis on it, an agreed win or lose they are going to have a shot and don't believe the latter will hinder JP's prospects of becoming HW Champ at some stage.

There has been plenty of Great Champions whom have lost before they've become World Champion... sometimes, and I think in JP's case, you learn more from a loss than you do from a win!!

In 4-5 years, I think JP has improved dramatically. Maybe not to everybody's expectation, but that has more to do with the hype-train Duco (Lonergan) has portrayed. Yes he has his defensive floors, but what fighter doesn't? I think we can comfortably say JP has a rock-solid chin, something I believe his competitors at this level don't have... hence the reason why Duco are happy for JP to fight Joshua next year.

All in all... if I was to judge JP's performance (and Duco) realistically, it would be a satisfactory result thus far, with a positive outlook!!

[Msreef]

Dimitrenko makes Jo look pretty small eh?

[diehard]

Dannyboy and other: After watching AJ vs Breazeale, KB and Duco said they are confident about Parker fighting him. Why? What weakness are they seeing that I'm not. Too date, AJ is invincible.

Parker is a world class fighter with novice mistakes.

[Boxingfan25]

That's because it's easy to look Invincible when your Opposition is Terrible . I mean seriously AJ looks great but put him in with someone who can Fight back then let's see if he still looks Invincible.

[diehard]

All true. But KB and Duco said that he was beatable against average opposition. Why? I don't see it.

Now, I will certainly be able to see his weaknesses against better opposition, but nobody can tell me where he has been weak to date. I'm not saying that he doesn't have flaws, but what are they?